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Ray Romano

Ray Romano, as Ray Barone on the CBS hit Everybody Loves Raymond, was part of one of the most respected sitcoms in television history. He won numerous awards, including an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series in 2002, and received two additional Emmys, as an executive producer, for outstanding comedy series, in 2003 and 2005.

Along with the rest of the show's cast, Romano earned a SAG Award™ for outstanding ensemble in a comedy series, in 2003. He won People's Choice Awards as favorite male TV performer, in 2000, 2001 and 2003. In 2005, both Romano and the show won a People's Choice Award.

Romano admits he always knew he could make his friends laugh, but he never really gave standup comedy serious thought until one fateful open-mic night at a New York comedy club in 1984. He did well, the bug bit hard, and Romano was smitten. After stints at odd jobs, including futon mattress delivery man and bank teller by day, and journeyman comedian by night, he decided to leave the 9-5 ranks and pursue comedy full-time, eventually winning a standup comedy competition sponsored by a major New York radio station.

Following that success, he continued to regularly appear at comedy clubs throughout the country, leading to appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and then with Jay Leno. He was eventually invited to appear on Late Night with David Letterman. That night, Letterman, recognizing Romano's unique persona, offered him a development deal with his production company, Worldwide Pants. Through that association, Everybody Loves Raymond was born.

Romano made his big screen debut as the voice of Manny the woolly mammoth, in the Twentieth Century Fox hit Ice Age, and subsequently starred in the follow-up hit, Ice Age: The Meltdown. He has also starred in Eulogy, Welcome to Mooseport with Gene Hackman, Grilled with Kevin James and Burt Reynolds, The Grand with Woody Harrelson, and 95 Miles To Go, an autobiographical documentary of his life on tour.

He is the author of The New York Times best-selling book based on his comedy, Everything and a Kite, as well as a children's book, Raymie, Dickie, and The Bean: Why I Love and Hate My Brothers. He also wrote, with his brothers Bobby Romano and Rich Romano, a children's book that was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for best spoken word album. His comedy album, Live at Carnegie Hall, was nominated for a Grammy in 2002.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2009.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Ray Romano Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayDecember 21, 1957 (66)
SignSagittarius
BirthplaceQueens, New York, USA
Height6' 4" (1m93)  How tall is Ray Romano compared to you?
Awards2002 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series (for Everybody Loves Raymond)

Selected Filmography

Ice Age: Collision Course
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Age
Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Cinderella Man
Get Him to the Greek
Stuck On You
95 Miles To Go
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