Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton was born on March 4, 1958, in Bay Village, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. An actress "from the get-go," as described by older brother Michael, she often performed alongside sister Alice for the neighborhood kids. She recalls being bratty, manipulative and showy during her childhood years.

When Patricia was 12, her mother died of a brain aneurysm, an event that she didn't know how to handle short of withdrawing into grief and depression that would last several years. Her father, a sports writer in Cleveland, encouraged Patricia to enroll in journalism at Ohio State University. But the relentless artist couldn't do it, and soon switched to theater arts. She graduated in 1980 and went to New York City to find her niche.

patricia heaton on broadway

She honed her craft under drama teacher William Esper while working odd jobs between minor stage roles. She scored a Broadway debut in the gospel musical, Don't Get God Started, but her acting career went nowhere from there. That's when she got together with fellow acting students and started a production company called Stage Three. It turned out to be the smartest move she made.

One of their productions, The Johnstown Vindicator (1989), was such a hit that they took it to Los Angeles. It was there that Heaton's vim and vigor would catch the attention of casting directors. After marrying British actor David Hunt in 1990, Patricia moved to the other coast, where she graduated to television.

patricia heaton on thirtysomething

Her first role was in 1989, as a gynecologist on thirtysomething, followed by one-time appearances on shows like Alien Nation and Matlock. More steady work came in 1990 with the made-for-TV movie Shattered Dreams, and a brief appearance in the Chevy Chase oddball picture Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) and the kid flick Beethoven (1992).

patricia stars on everybody loves raymond

The time came in 1992 for Heaton to land a leading role, in the TV series Room for Two. Two years later, she appeared in two other short-lived series: Someone Like Me and Women of the House. Again, her career appeared to stall. Until 1996, that is, when she beat out more than 200 actresses for the lead female role in a new sitcom starring comedian Ray Romano. In the words of executive producer Philip Rosenthal, "No one comes across as real as her."

And it shows: Everybody Loves Raymond continues to enjoy soaring ratings and Emmy wins, including two for Heaton for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (in 2000 and 2001; she has garnered consecutive nominations since 1999). She also won the Q Award for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series in 1999 and 2000.

Between filming Raymond and being a full-time mom of four boys, she still finds time for movies. She was briefly seen in Space Jam (1996), and appeared in the TV movies Miracle in the Woods (1997), A Town Without Christmas (2001), Christmas in Washington (2003), and The Goodbye Girl (2004). But now that Everybody Loves Raymond will end its long television run in 2005, Patricia will have time to try out other projects.

Patricia Heaton lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four sons.