Michael P. Moran
Encyclopedia
Michael Peter Moran was an American
actor
and playwright
.
Moran was born in Yuba City, California
, but his family moved frequently because his father was a US Army officer. While his family was living in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, he graduated from Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls. While he was a student there, he designed and supervised construction of an elaborate set for a benefit production of Robert Merrill's musical "Take Me Along." He gained some of his first experience under Gilbert Rathbun in the theater program at Seton Hall University
in South Orange, N.J. - though he was not a student there - and at the Theater on the Mall in Paramus, where he worked with director Robert Ludlum
, who had not yet launched his career as a novelist. Moran's roles at Seton Hall included Sir Toby Belch in William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and "Mortimer, the Man Who Dies" in "The Fantasticks" by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Moran moved to the lower East Side of New York City
in 1966 and was educated at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts
. He became a member of the theatre groups the Manhattan Project and the Cooper-Keaton Group. Both groups produced plays written by Moran, including Call Me Charlie, starring Danny DeVito
. He also appeared in several productions for the New York Shakespeare Festival
. In 2003, he portrayed Fred "Pap" Rose in the musical "Lost Highway" by Randal Myler and Mike Harelik, based on the life of Hank Williams. The show played to a positive critical response at the Manhattan Ensemble Theatre in Soho and then at the Little Shubert Theater in Midtown.
Moran died at the age of 59, in a New York hospital, from Guillain-Barre Syndrome
. He was four days short of his 60th birthday.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
Moran was born in Yuba City, California
Yuba City, California
Yuba City is a Northern California city, founded in 1849. It is the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 64,925 at the 2010 census....
, but his family moved frequently because his father was a US Army officer. While his family was living in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, he graduated from Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls. While he was a student there, he designed and supervised construction of an elaborate set for a benefit production of Robert Merrill's musical "Take Me Along." He gained some of his first experience under Gilbert Rathbun in the theater program at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
in South Orange, N.J. - though he was not a student there - and at the Theater on the Mall in Paramus, where he worked with director Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
, who had not yet launched his career as a novelist. Moran's roles at Seton Hall included Sir Toby Belch in William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and "Mortimer, the Man Who Dies" in "The Fantasticks" by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Moran moved to the lower East Side of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1966 and was educated at New York University's
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
. He became a member of the theatre groups the Manhattan Project and the Cooper-Keaton Group. Both groups produced plays written by Moran, including Call Me Charlie, starring Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
. He also appeared in several productions for the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
. In 2003, he portrayed Fred "Pap" Rose in the musical "Lost Highway" by Randal Myler and Mike Harelik, based on the life of Hank Williams. The show played to a positive critical response at the Manhattan Ensemble Theatre in Soho and then at the Little Shubert Theater in Midtown.
Moran died at the age of 59, in a New York hospital, from Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome , sometimes called Landry's paralysis, is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system. Ascending paralysis, weakness beginning in the feet and hands and migrating towards the trunk, is the most typical symptom...
. He was four days short of his 60th birthday.
Filmography
- Little Kings
- UndermindUndermind (film)Undermind is a 2003 psychological thriller written and directed by Nevil Dwek.- Plot :Derrick, a corporate lawyer with a large trust fund, and Zane, a criminal, live in opposite social spheres. Although they never meet, their lives are more connected than either one of them could ever imagine....
- Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
- City by the SeaCity by the SeaCity by the Sea is a 2002 film starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand and William Forsythe. It deals with a family problems of wayward youth and set against a man trying to break free of his past. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones...
- Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
- The Big HeistThe Big HeistThe Big Heist is an American television movie which aired in 2001, on the A&E Television Networks.The film portrays the events of the 1978 Lufthansa Heist. The events and characters depicted in the film were also the subject of the much more well-known 1990 film Goodfellas, directed by Martin...
- DeadlineDeadline (TV series)Deadline is a television series which was shown on NBC in the 2000-2001 season. It starred Oliver Platt as Wallace Benton, who worked for the fictional New York Ledger...
- Prince of Central Park
- The Eden Myth
- Just the TicketJust the Ticket (film)Just the Ticket is a 1999 film starring Andy García and Andie MacDowell. Garcia was also the producer. The movie was originally titled The Ticket Scalper.- Plot :...
- Harvest
- A Perfect MurderA Perfect MurderA Perfect Murder is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names are all changed, and over half the plot is completely...
- SleepersSleepers (film)Sleepers is a 1996 legal drama film written, produced, and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 novel of the same name.-Plot:...
- Mother NightMother Night (film)Mother Night is a 1996 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 book of the same name.Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell, Jr., an American who moves with his family to Germany after World War I and goes on to become a successful German language playwright...
- The Cosby MysteriesThe Cosby MysteriesThe Cosby Mysteries is a American television mystery series that starred Bill Cosby. It was the first television series to star Cosby since The Cosby Show and lasted only one season...
- Radioland MurdersRadioland MurdersRadioland Murders is a 1994 black comedy mystery film directed by Mel Smith and co-written/produced by George Lucas. Radioland Murders is set in the 1939 atmosphere of old-time radio and pays homage to the screwball comedy films of the 1930s...
- The PaperThe PaperThe Paper is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, and Glenn Close. The film depicts 24 hours in a newspaper editor's professional and personal life.-Plot:...
- MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
- Carlito's WayCarlito's WayCarlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...
- Square One TV
- The TurningThe Turning (film)The Turning is a 1992 American drama film directed by L.A. Puopolo.Filmed entirely on location in Pocahontas, Virginia.This film is adapted from the stage play Home Fires Burning.-Synopsis:...
- MathnetMathnetMathnet is a segment on the children's television show Square One, of which five seasons were produced . This parody of Dragnet featured detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department who solved mysteries using their mathematical skills. There were two main characters: detectives Kate Monday and...
- Loser
- State of GraceState of Grace (film)State of Grace is an American neo-noir crime film starring Sean Penn, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman, and featuring Robin Wright, John Turturro and John C. Reilly. Written by Dennis McIntyre and directed by Phil Joanou, the film was executive produced by Ned Dowd, Randy Ostrow, and Ron Rotholz, and...
- H.E.L.P.H.E.L.P.H.E.L.P. was a United States ABC television drama series which appeared for only one season, as a mid-season replacement in March 1990. John Mahoney starred as Chief Patrick Meacham of the New York City Fire Department...
- Ghostbusters IIGhostbusters IIGhostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
- Fletch LivesFletch LivesFletch Lives is a 1989 comedy film starring Chevy Chase. It was directed by Michael Ritchie with a screenplay by Leon Capetanos based on the character created by Gregory Mcdonald. Fletch Lives was released by Universal Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1985 film Fletch.- Plot :Chevy Chase once again...
- Lean on MeLean on Me (film)Lean on Me is a 1989 dramatized biographical written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Morgan Freeman. Lean on Me is loosely based on the story of Joe Louis Clark, a real life inner city high school principal in Paterson, New Jersey, whose school is at risk of being...
- Physical EvidencePhysical Evidence (film)Physical Evidence is a 1989 crime thriller directed by Michael Crichton. It stars Burt Reynolds alongside Theresa Russell and Ned Beatty. Reynolds plays Joe Paris, a beleaguered ex-police officer, incriminated by the evidence but insisting on his innocence....
- Nine 1/2 Weeks
- MarieMarie (film)Marie is a 1985 film starring Sissy Spacek as the real-life Marie Ragghianti, former head of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles, who was removed from office in 1977 after refusing to release prisoners who had bribed aides to then-Governor Ray Blanton...
- ScarfaceScarface (1983 film)Scarface is a 1983 American epic crime drama movie directed by Brian De Palma, written by Oliver Stone, produced by Martin Bregman and starring Al Pacino as Tony Montana...
- The Survivors
- KnightridersKnightridersKnightriders is a 1981 film written and directed by George A. Romero. It was filmed entirely on location in Pennsylvania, especially in Fawn Township and Natrona...
- Squeeze Play!Squeeze Play!Squeeze Play! is a 1979 comedy film from Troma Entertainment directed by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. It was Troma’s first major hit before The Toxic Avenger, and the first in a line of four "sexy comedies", followed by Waitress!, Stuck on You!, and The First Turn-On!.-Plot:A group of New Jersey...