Michael Moriarty is not Ben Stone. He is an actor with an alcohol problem, and a person who is notoriously difficult to work with.

Failing relations with Dick Wolf prompted Moriarty's departure from Television's Law and Order (the two had a falling out over Janet Reno's TV violence initiatives). Fearing a Communist takeover of the US Government1, Moriarty fled from the US to Canada, first to Toronto, then Halifax, and then Vancouver. An interesting transmogrification happened to Moriarty in Canada: he began a crusade against Socialism.

His drinking has caused him trouble while living in Canada. One night in 1996, carrying open liquor after leaving a bar in Halifax he shouted at a police officer, "What are you looking at, you big black ******?" Moriarty and his female companion spent the night in the drunk tank, and Moriarty profusely apologized the next day for his racist remarks. In February 2001, a Vancouver court stayed an Assault charge against Moriarty. While drunk, he assualted his common law wife and manager, Margaret Brychka. At a prior court proceeding he represented himself, drunk. In an attempt to play on his past popularity, he referred to his respect for the work done by the Prosecuting Crown Attorney, as the "Ben Stone" role.

Some choice quotes from Moriarty while living in Canada, and therefore under the radar of the American Media:

On warning of an impending Socialist takeover of America: ..the common denominator of all genocidal killing machines in the 20th Century has been some form of socialist government

He frequently compares himself to Winston Churchill, e.g. Some may call me crazy. They certainly labeled Churchill that when he warned them about the dictator of German socialism.

On considering running for Mayor of Calgary, Alberta in 1999: ... whenever I get my citizenship I'm going to run for office.

In June 2001, Moriarty wrote an article for The Globe and Mail, on Timothy McVeigh, titled McVeigh is why I came to Canada, where he states Because of Mr. Clinton's selfish and slanderous exploitation of the Oklahoma City massacre, I decided to leave my country... I would call Mr. McVeigh the world's first American Leftist Suicide Bomber.
More strange information is available at:
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/2352/MM.html

1 - I am not making this up.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.