CATHY MORIARTY ON NBC'S 'LAW & ORDER: SVU'

CATHY MORIARTY GUEST-STARS ON NBC'S 'LAW & ORDER: SVU' TUESDAY, MARCH 29 AT 10 PM ET/PT

NEW YORK - March 24, 2005 -Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Cathy Moriarty ("Raging Bull") guest-stars as an unstable mother Denise Eldridge, whose case personally challenges Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU," on Tuesday, March 29, at 10 pm ET/PT. In this emotional episode, Benson, whose own mother was both abusive and an alcoholic, struggles with a case that hits too close to home.

"Olivia reveals for the first time an aspect of her past that has profoundly influenced the way she relates to the world," said Hargitay. "Her revelation will shed light on what motivates her, what terrifies and hinders her in her relationships. Olivia, like all of us, is a product of her past. What she reveals here is a crucial and painful clue about why she has become the strong, independent and fiercely protective woman that she is."

This case centers around Carrie Eldridge (guest star Danielle Panabaker) a teenage girl who Detective Benson tries to protect form her hostile mother (Moriarty). Mrs. Eldridge reports a case of statutory rape in an effort to keep her daughter away from her 21-year old boyfriend. Eldridge makes it difficult for SVU involvement, when she claims that she and her boyfriend have never had sexual relations. After Eldridge undergoes questioning, Mrs. Eldridge is found murdered in her apartment and detectives Benson and Stabler (Chris Meloni) first suspect the boyfriend. Diane Neal, Dann Florek, Richard Belzer, Ice-T and Tamara Tunie also star.

Moriarty made her screen debut opposite Robert De Niro in "Raging Bull." Other film credits include "Analyze That," "Forget Paris," "Neighbors," "White of the Eye," "Kindergarten Cop," "Soapdish," "Mambo kings," "Matinee," "The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag," "Another Stakeout" and Steven Spielberg's "Casper." Additional credits include "Hugo Pool," "Dream With The Fishes," "A Brother's Kiss," "Copland ," "Digging To China," "But I'm A Cheerleader," "Crazy In Alabama," and "The Prince of Central Park." Moriarty's television credits include "Bless This House," "Tales From The Crypt," and NBC's "Law & Order."

Moriarty is currently acting as chairwoman of UTOPIA Film Studios, a film studio project underway with her husband that will be located in the northeast. Moriarty's love for children and special causes brings her to New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital where she visits with cancer stricken children on a regular basis. She continues to support the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, PETA, and has recently been named spokesperson for the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation in Suffolk County, New York. Moriarty is also the founder and owner of the well-known Mulberry Street Pizzeria, an Italian eatery with two locations in Beverly Hills and another in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California.