Patricia Heaton

Infobox actor

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imagesize = 150px
name = Patricia Heaton
birthdate = birth date and age|1958|3|4
location = Bay Village, Ohio, USA
birthname = Patricia Helen Heaton
website = http://www.patriciaheaton.com
spouse = David Hunt (1990-present)
children = 4 sons
yearsactive = 1989 - present
emmyawards = Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
2000 "Everybody Loves Raymond"
2001 "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress best known for playing lead character and Ray Barone's wife Debra Barone on the CBS television sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond". She recently made a return to television opposite Kelsey Grammer in the FOX comedy series "Back To You".

Early life

Heaton was the second youngest of five children born to an Irish American Roman Catholic family in Bay Village, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Chuck Heaton, was a well-known "Cleveland Plain Dealer" sportswriter. She spent her grade school years attending St. Raphael Elementary School in Bay Village. She was 12 when her mother died. [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/31/theater/31gree.html?pagewanted=1 Not Everybody Loves Patricia] , "The New York Times," December 31, 2006]

Heaton has three sisters, Sharon, Alice, and Frances, and one brother, Michael, who is the "Minister of Culture" columnist for the "Plain Dealer" and a writer for the paper's Friday Magazine.

Personal life

Heaton has been married to British actor David Hunt since 1990. The couple have four sons: Sam (b. 1993); John Basil (b. 1995); Joseph Charles (b. 1997); and Daniel Patrick (b. January 20, 1999). They divide their time between Los Angeles and England, where they own a country estate. Her memoir, "Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine", was published by Villard Books in 2002.

Heaton was once quoted as saying "once a Catholic, always a Catholic;" and, although she now attends an Evangelical Presbyterian Church with Hunt and their children, [ [http://www.archden.org/dcr/archive/20001018/2000101817wn.htm Denver Catholic Register - World/Nation ] ] she has neither left the Catholic church nor converted to Presbyterianism.

Heaton's eldest sister, Sharon, is a Dominican nun and a special assistant to the Aquinas College (Tennessee) Teacher Education Program.Fact|date=July 2008

Career

After graduating from Ohio State University, she became a sister of Delta Gamma Sorority, with a B.A. in drama in 1980, Heaton moved to New York City to study with drama teacher William Esper.

Theater

Heaton made her first Broadway appearance in the chorus of the "Don't Get God Started" (1987), after which she and fellow students created Stage Three, an off-Broadway acting troupe.

In January 2007, Heaton returned to the stage to co-star with Tony Shalhoub in the off-Broadway play "The Scene" at Second Stage Theater in New York City. [ [http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Photo_Op.aspx?ci=542743 "On The Scene, Tony Shalhoub and Patricia Heaton Open Off-Broadway", broadway.com, 2007-01-11] ] For this performance, Heaton was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress category for the 22nd Lucille Lortel Awards.

Television

When Stage Three brought one of their productions to Los Angeles, Heaton caught the eye of a casting director for the ABC drama "thirtysomething". She was cast as an oncologist, leading to six appearances on the series from 1989-1991. Other TV guest appearances include: "Alien Nation" (1989), "Matlock" (1990), "Party of Five" (1996), "The King of Queens" (1999), and "Danny Phantom" (2004).

Heaton was featured in three short-lived sitcoms—"Room for Two" (1992) with Linda Lavin, "Someone Like Me" (1994), and "Women of the House" (1995) with Delta Burke and Terri Garr - before landing the plum role of beleaguered wife, mother, and in-law Debra Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996 - 2005) with Ray Romano, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, and Monica Horan. She was nominated in each of the series' last seven seasons for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy, winning the award twice. She has also collected two Viewers For Quality Television awards and a Screen Actors Guild trophy for her work on the series.

Starting September 2007, Heaton began to co-star with Kelsey Grammer in "Back to You", a new situation comedy on FOX.

The show was canceled on May 9, 2008.

Film

Heaton's television movies include "Shattered Dreams" (1990), "Miracle in the Woods" (1997), "A Town Without Christmas" (2001), as well as the remake of Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl" (2004) with Jeff Daniels, and "The Engagement Ring" (2005), both for TNT.

Heaton also played former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, Barbara Bodine, in the 2006 ABC docudrama "The Path to 9/11". Her feature films include "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992), "Beethoven" (1992), "The New Age" (1994), and "Space Jam" (1996).

Heaton was the producer for the 2005 documentary "The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania", which was directed by her husband.

Other credits

In 2003, Heaton appeared in a series of television and radio commercials as spokesperson for the various incarnations of the grocery chain Albertsons, such as Acme, Jewel and Shaw's. In 2007, Albertsons created the Crazy About Food slogan/campaign and Heaton's association with the company ended. [ [http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-mar0907-crazy_about_food.34a70c2e.html KTVB.COM | Boise, Idaho News, Weather, Sports, Video, Traffic & Events | IDAHO NEWS ] ] She has also appeared in advertisements for Pantene hair-care products.

Political and social advocacy

Heaton is a consistent life ethicist and is supportive of pro-life groups and causes, opposing abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Heaton's advocacy became particularly visible during the debate regarding Terri Schiavo. [ [http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/25/Tampabay/Issues__not_images__d.shtml Tampabay: Issues, not images, drive Schiavo TV coverage ] ] In addition, Heaton is Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life, a non-partisan organization which opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research and supports other pro-life causes on the basis of feminism.

In October 2006, Heaton appeared in a commercial opposing a Missouri state constitutional amendment concerning embryonic stem cell research, which subsequently passed. The ad was a response to the election of Democratic Senate hopeful Claire McCaskill and ran at about the same time as Michael J. Fox's famous ad supporting the amendment. Appearing with Heaton were actor Jim Caviezel, pitcher Jeff Suppan of the St. Louis Cardinals (now of the Milwaukee Brewers), Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, formerly of the St. Louis Rams. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/politics/main2122383.shtml Stem Cell Opponents To Air Celebrity Ad, To Rebut Ad Featuring Michael J. Fox, World Series Pitcher Speaks Out Against Missouri Amendment - CBS News ] ] Following a public outcry, Heaton later said she regretted doing the ad and sent an apology to Fox, claiming she wasn't aware of Fox's ad before she did hers. Fox accepted her apology and later stated that “If we can have a healthy dialogue about issues that people see differently, that’s marvelous.”

"The New York Times" has stated that "her political views are not so easily pigeonholed." She supports gay rights and the use of birth control. Heaton has also been an advocate for several other organizations, including Heifer International, a nonprofit organization which addresses world hunger, and World Vision, a Christian relief organization.Fact|date=July 2008

Emmy Awards

Heaton has two Emmys:

* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Be Nice" (1999)
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Bad Moon Rising" (2000)

* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "The Canister" (2001)
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "A Vote for Debra" (2002)
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Baggage" (2003)
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Fun with Debra" (2004)
* Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Everybody Loves Raymond for: "Finale" (2005)

ee also

* Pro-life feminism

Notes and references

External links

*
* [http://www.patriciaheatononline.com/ Patricia Heaton fansite]