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Heather Matarazzo
Matarazzo in 2008
Born	(1982-11-10) November 10, 1982 (age 42)
Citizenship	United States Republic of Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Heather Turman ​(m. 2018)​
Partner	Caroline Murphy (2004–2012)

Heather Matarazzo (born November 10, 1982) is an American actress. She is known for playing Lilly Moscovitz in The Princess Diaries (2001) and its 2004 sequel, and Martha Meeks in Scream 3 (2000) and Scream (2022). Matarazzo made her film debut at age 12 in Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), earning an Independent Spirit Award for her portrayal of Dawn Wiener. Her other credits include The Devil's Advocate (1997), All I Wanna Do (1998), 54 (1998), Sorority Boys (2002), Saved! (2004), Hostel: Part II (2007), and Sisters (2015).

Outside film, Matarazzo portrayed Heather Wiseman on the CBS series Now and Again (1999–2000), and had recurring roles on Roseanne (1997), Exes & Ohs (2006–2009), and The L Word (2007). On stage, she appeared in the 2001–2002 Broadway revival of The Women.

Early life

Matarazzo's biological mother was Irish-American, while her biological father was from Ireland, from the town of Knock (Irish: An Cnoc), County Mayo. She was adopted and raised by the Matarazzos, an Italian-American family. She was raised in Oyster Bay, New York.

Career

Matarazzo began acting at the age of six; after commandeering the microphone at an AIDS benefit for children, she was given the card of a talent manager, with whom she remained for ten years.

In 1997, she won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance as adolescent social outcast Dawn Wiener in Welcome to the Dollhouse. Matarazzo has expressed pleasure in being allowed to play interesting characters, some of whom "are ostracized for various reasons." She has commented that she is most proud of her performance in 1999's Our Guys: Outrage in Glen Ridge, based on a true story, in which she played a mentally challenged girl who is raped by football players. In 1999 to 2000, she portrayed Heather Wiseman in the short-lived TV series, Now and Again. In 2000, she appeared in the teen romantic comedy film The Princess Diaries as Lilly Moscovitz and reprised her role in the 2004 sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Matarazzo has made appearances on several hit TV shows including Roseanne, Law & Order, The L Word, Greys Anatomy and Strangers With Candy. Matarazzo starred opposite Thaao Penghlis in the world premiere of Charles Evered's play Class at Cape May Stage in Cape May, New Jersey in May and June 2010.

In 2011, Matarazzo announced that she would begin working on her directorial debut, a television series to be based on a memoir by author Diane Hanks, titled Summer Camp: A Memoir.

Personal life

In 2004, at the age of 21, Matarazzo came out as a lesbian in an article in the New York Daily News, and was subsequently profiled in an article in the October 2004 edition of The Advocate. On July 31, 2008, Matarazzo's publicist announced that Matarazzo was engaged to musician Caroline Murphy. In 2012, popular media news outlets announced that Matarazzo and Murphy had split amicably. Matarazzo married comedian Heather Turman in 2018.

Matarazzo was scheduled to attend a meeting on the 15th floor of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 but overslept.

Matarazzo endorsed and actively campaigned for Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. "Chatter: Broadway". Asbury Park Press. November 10, 1996. p. 2. ProQuest 2015471009. Actor Jack Scalia is 45. Actor-comedian Sinbad is 40. Actress MacKenzie Phillips is 37. Actress Heather Matarazzo ('Welcome to the Dollhouse') is 14. See also:
   • "Horoscopes: Today's Birthdays". Newsday. November 10, 2023. p. B10. ProQuest 2890281136. Actor Jack Scalia, 73. Actor-comedian Sinbad, 67. Actor Hugh Bonneville, 60. Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan, 55. Actor Ellen Pompeo, 54. Rapper Eve, 45. Actor Heather Matarazzo ('Welcome to the Dollhouse') is 41.
2. ^ "Chatting with Heather Matarazzo". E! News.
3. "Heather Matarazzo on Meeting Her Birth Mother".
4. "Heather Matarazzo rocks the house". Entertainment Weekly.
5. Konig, Susan (May 7, 2000). "At 17, She Already Finds Herself On Top of the Acting Game". New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
6. Warn, Sarah (February 27, 2006). "Welcome to the New Heather Matarazzo". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
7. "Raising the curtain on summer theater: Cape May Stage presents world premiere". Press of Atlantic City. New Jersey. May 12, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
8. "Heather Matarazzo Talks Being an Out Actress, New TV Show, and 'Mangus!'". Pride.com. Los Angeles, California: Here Media. December 3, 2011.
9. Anne Stockwell (October 12, 2004). "Coming Out 2004: Welcome to the house, doll!". The Advocate. pp. 73–78.
10. Warn, Sarah (August 1, 2008). "Heather Matarazzo Officially Engaged to Caroline Murphy". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
11. Belge, Kathy (February 14, 2009). "Heather Matarazzo: Lesbian Actress". About.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
12. "Princess Diaries' Heather Matarazzo is Engaged to Heather Turman". January 16, 2018.
13. Matarazzo, Heather (September 11, 2019). "18 years ago today, I had a meeting at World Trade Center Tower 1, 15th floor at 9 AM. I woke up at 8:50. Every year, on this day, I think about how my alarm didn't go off. Missing my city today. #WhereWereYou" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. Matarazzo, Heather (May 23, 2016). "Join me and @cenkuygur tomorrow to introduce the future we believe in, @BernieSanders #bernieinanaheim #CAforBernie" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
15. Hopewell, John (August 1, 2023). "Grace Glowicki-Starrer 'Booger,' From 'Everything Everywhere,' 'Shiva Baby' Exec Producers, Boarded by Visit Films (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved July 8, 2024.

External links

• Heather Matarazzo at IMDb
• Heather Matarazzo at Rotten Tomatoes
• Heather Matarazzo Website at WordPress.com

• Living people
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from New York (state)
• American adoptees
• American child actresses
• American film actresses
• American lesbian actresses
• American people of Irish descent
• American stage actresses
• American television actresses
• Independent Spirit Award winners
• People from Oyster Bay (town), New York
• LGBTQ people from New York (state)
• 1982 births