Moriarty works as an activist for the Autistic community and is the national spokesperson for Autism United. She is also an advocate of both Autism Speaks and the Autism rights movement.[2]
Early life
Moriarty was born November 29, 1960, in The Bronx borough of New York City,[3] the daughter of Irish Catholic immigrants Catherine, a homemaker, and John Moriarty, a warehouse worker.[4] She was raised in Yonkers, New York, where she attended Lincoln High School.[3] When she was 18 years old, her friends urged her to enter a bathing-beauty contest at a local bar:
So, I go in there, and my knees are shaking, and I'm breaking out in goose bumps 'cause I'm embarrassed and cold. All these guys are whistling and stuff. Then all of a sudden the emcee announces I won first prize, and I say, "Hey, this is really funny". So this Italian guy comes up and asks if he can take my picture and I say, "Sure, go ahead", 'cause he's gonna take it anyway. And whad'd'ya know, this same guy calls me three weeks later, says his name is Joe Pesci and asks if I'd like to test for a part in this movie about a boxer named Jake LaMotta.[5]
I can only say that nobody likes an overnight success in this town. I went for a lot of interviews, auditions and even cattle calls. I tried for parts and attended meetings, but it seemed I wasn't right for any of the roles I wanted. And the parts I was offered didn't appeal to me. So I paid my dues, studying acting and losing my Yonkers accent. And oh yes, I cried an awful lot.[7]
In 1985, Moriarty agreed to co-star with Jack Nicholson in The Two Jakes. However, after one day of shooting its production halted. Although the film was eventually released in 1990, Moriarty was no longer connected with the production.[7] Moriarty returned to acting in 1987. Her first role since Neighbors was in the Britishthriller filmWhite of the Eye, in which Moriarty played the wife of David Keith's character. Two years later, she appeared in the CBS series Wiseguy.
Consciously, I like to take on movies that have a message of authenticity. I like to create a character close to life, where it's real.[8]
Following Analyze That, Moriarty took a break from acting to raise her children. In 2010, she returned to the big screen to play a bookie who sends two thugs to kill the main characters (Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler) in the romantic-action-comedy film The Bounty Hunter. On July 18, 2010, the Long Island International Film Expo honored the actress with its Long Island Creative Achievement Award.[9] Shortly afterwards, she guest-starred as Annalisa Gentili on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
In 1981, Moriarty married theatrical manager Carmine D'Anna and moved into a home in Malibu, California. On April 2, 1992, it was reported that Moriarty and D'Anna were divorcing and D'Anna sought $1 million under California's community property laws.[12]
Moriarty owns the Mulberry Street Pizzeria restaurant chain with co-owner Richie Palmer, to whom she was briefly engaged. The couple separated when Palmer began dating Raquel Welch in October 1997, but the two remained business partners.[13][14] Moriarty and Palmer continue to own Mulberry Street Pizzeria together, with four locations in Southern California and one in Las Vegas.[15]
On August 28, 1999, Moriarty and financier Joseph Gentile[16] married on Long Island. They have three children.[17][18]
