Most people recognize the name Moretz because of Chloë Grace Moretz — the actress who became a household name through films like Kick-Ass, Hugo, and Carrie. But far fewer know the story of her father, McCoy Lee Moretz, a Beverly Hills surgeon who spent his career well outside the Hollywood spotlight.
This article covers who McCoy Lee Moretz was, what he did professionally, what is publicly known about his family background, and why his name has drawn growing curiosity online — largely because of what his daughter has said about him in interviews.
Who Was McCoy Lee Moretz?
McCoy “Mac” Lee Moretz was an American surgeon born on January 17, 1957, in Newton, North Carolina. He later built his career and life in Beverly Hills, California, where he practiced medicine for several decades.
He passed away on March 10, 2021, after a brief illness, at the age of 64. His death was confirmed through an obituary published via the Los Angeles Times on Legacy.com.
McCoy was not a public figure in any traditional sense. He gave no public interviews, maintained no notable media presence, and was not involved in the entertainment industry. He became a subject of public curiosity almost entirely because of his famous daughter.
According to his obituary, he was the father of six children. One of those children was Chloë Grace Moretz. Another was a daughter named Kathleen, who sadly passed away before McCoy himself did.
His Medical Career and the F.A.C.E. of Beverly Hills Practice
McCoy Lee Moretz was a specialist in two connected medical fields: otolaryngology and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. Otolaryngology is more commonly known as ear, nose, and throat medicine. Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery focuses on both the structural and aesthetic aspects of the face — repairing injuries, correcting functional problems, and performing cosmetic procedures.
Think of it like a combination of structural engineering and design work, but applied to the human face. It requires both medical precision and a strong visual sense.
McCoy practiced for over 30 years and founded his own clinic called F.A.C.E. of Beverly Hills. The practice was located at 9735 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills. A Yelp listing for the business — now marked as closed — confirms the address and the practice name, which was listed as “Face Of Beverly.”
The closure of the practice is consistent with his passing in March 2021. There is no publicly sourced information suggesting the clinic continued under different management after his death.
It is worth being clear here: while McCoy operated a facial plastic surgery practice in Beverly Hills, there is no verified public record identifying him as a “celebrity surgeon” or confirming that he treated well-known patients. His practice was located in a well-known area, but those two facts alone do not support that claim.
The Moretz Family — From North Carolina to Beverly Hills
McCoy’s story is, in some ways, a classic American arc. He was born and raised in Newton, a small city in Catawba County, North Carolina. Eventually, he built a medical career that brought him to one of the most expensive zip codes in the country.
He married Teri Duke Moretz, who would go on to become a central figure in supporting and managing the children’s careers — particularly Chloë’s acting path. As the Moretz children grew up and Chloë’s career took off, the family became embedded in the Los Angeles entertainment world.
The Moretz children are a large group. In addition to Chloë and Kathleen, several of her brothers have been involved in her professional life over the years, working in roles related to her career management and coaching. The family has generally operated as a close unit on that front, even as personal relationships within it became more complicated over time.
When McCoy passed in March 2021, Teri shared a tribute on Instagram. In that post, she referred to him as “my soulmate, my children’s Father, a Brother and a son.” It was a public acknowledgment that, whatever the family had been through, his passing carried real weight for those who knew him.
What Chloë Grace Moretz Has Said About Her Father
The main reason many people search for McCoy Lee Moretz is because of things his daughter has said publicly about their relationship.
Chloë has described that relationship as complicated. She has spoken in interviews about McCoy leaving the family when she was around 12 years old. According to reporting by Nicki Swift, which referenced a Glamour interview, his departure was abrupt and affected both the emotional life of the family and its practical circumstances.
She has also said that she “lost her father during the pandemic” — but was careful to clarify that his death was not related to COVID-19. His obituary confirms he died “after a brief illness,” with no specific cause made public.
It is important to read Chloë’s words for what they are: her own personal perspective, shared in interviews, about her experience growing up and later losing her father. They reflect her truth and her feelings. They are not a complete account of who McCoy was as a person, and they should not be treated as one.
Reconciling a complicated parent-child relationship — especially one interrupted by distance and then ended by death — is deeply personal. Chloë has spoken about going through a period of significant change and reflection during the pandemic years, and the loss of her father was clearly part of that.
Why So Little Is Known About McCoy Lee Moretz
This is actually a straightforward answer: McCoy was a private person who chose a private life.
He ran a medical practice. He raised a family. He did not seek public attention, and the media did not pursue him the way it does entertainers or public officials. In many celebrity family stories, the parents and siblings who stay off-screen remain largely unknown — not because something is being hidden, but simply because they were never in the spotlight to begin with.
For readers curious about the Moretz family history, sites like Start Business Advice often cover the broader stories behind well-known names — including the family and career contexts that shape public figures.
The limited information available about McCoy is not unusual. What we do know — confirmed through his obituary, his medical practice records, and public comments from his family — paints a picture of a man who dedicated decades to his medical career and fathered a family that would eventually produce one of Hollywood’s more recognizable young actresses.
A Brief Profile of Chloë Grace Moretz, for Context
For readers who landed here primarily out of curiosity about the family connection, Chloë Grace Moretz was born in 1997 in Atlanta, Georgia. She began acting as a young child and built a notable filmography through her teens and twenties.
Her most recognized roles include Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass (2010), the vampire Eli in Let Me In (2010), and the title role in the 2013 remake of Carrie. She has continued working steadily in film and television since then.
Her career was built with strong family support — particularly from her mother Teri and several of her brothers. The absence of her father during key years of her adolescence and early career is something she has addressed openly, showing a degree of candor that her fans have often responded to with appreciation.
Remembering McCoy Lee Moretz
McCoy Lee Moretz was, by all confirmed accounts, a dedicated surgeon who spent over three decades practicing medicine in Beverly Hills. He came from a small town in North Carolina, built a specialty practice in one of the most competitive cities in the country, and raised six children alongside his wife Teri.
His relationship with his daughter Chloë was complicated, as she herself has described. His death in March 2021 came quietly, without the media attention that often surrounds the families of famous people.
What is perhaps most telling is that the people who knew him — including Teri, who called him her soulmate — mourned him in the way families do: with private grief and public remembrance. The fact that so little is documented about him is, in a way, consistent with the life he lived: one that stayed largely behind the scenes, even as his daughter stepped fully into the spotlight.
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