Patricia Heaton
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Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething (1989–1991) and later appearing in the comedy films Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Beethoven (both 1992). Heaton went on to star in the short-lived sitcoms Room for Two (1992–93), Someone Like Me (1994) and Women of the House (1995).
Heaton achieved her career breakthrough and global fame with her portrayal of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005). Her performance earned her seven nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning the award in 2000 and 2001. She received five nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series as well and won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2003. She also played the leading roles in the made-for-television movies A Town Without Christmas (2001), The Goodbye Girl (2004) for which she received Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, and Front of the Class (2008).
From 2009 to 2018, Heaton starred as Frances "Frankie" Heck in the ABC comedy series The Middle for which she received Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She hosted and produced Food Network cooking series Patricia Heaton Parties (2015–16), winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early life
Patricia Heaton was born in Bay Village, Ohio, the daughter of Patricia (née Hurd) and Chuck Heaton, who was a sportswriter for The Plain Dealer. When she was 12, her mother died of an aneurysm. The fourth of five children,<ref name=people/> Heaton was raised as a devout Catholic.<ref name=a>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nytimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
Heaton has three sisters, Sharon, Alice, and Frances, and one brother, Michael, who died in September 2022 at the age of 66 and was the "Minister of Culture" columnist for The Plain Dealer and a writer for the paper's Friday Magazine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
1987—1995
While attending Ohio State University, she became a sister of Delta Gamma sorority. She later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in drama. In 1980, Heaton moved to New York City to study with drama teacher William Esper.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Heaton made her first Broadway appearance in the chorus of Don't Get God Started (1987), after which she and fellow students created Stage Three, an off-Broadway acting troupe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Heaton auditioned for the role of Elaine Benes on Seinfeld in 1989.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When Stage Three brought one of its productions to Los Angeles, Heaton caught the eye of a casting director for the ABC drama series Thirtysomething. She was cast as an oncologist, leading to six appearances on the series from 1989 to 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other guest appearances include Alien Nation (1989) and Matlock (1990) and supporting role in the made-for-television movie Shattered Dreams (1990).
In 1992, Heaton made her big screen debut appearing in a supporting role in the comedy-drama film Memoirs of an Invisible Man directed by John Carpenter. Later that year, she appeared in the box-office hit family comedy film Beethoven. From 1992 to 1993, Heaton starred as a lead character in the ABC sitcom Room for Two.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series was canceled after two seasons. In 1994, she starred in another short-lived sitcom, Someone Like Me, it lasted on NBC only six episodes. Later that year, Heaton appeared in the comedy-drama film The New Age.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1995, she starred opposite Delta Burke in the CBS sitcom Women of the House, a spin-off of Designing Women.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The series also was canceled after one season.
1996—2018: Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle
In 1996, Heaton landed the role of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond opposite Ray Romano. The series received positive reviews and has been on top ten television rankings and won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series twice. She was nominated in each of the series' last seven seasons for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning in 2000 and 2001. With her win in 2000, she became the first of the cast members on the show to win an Emmy. She has also collected two Viewers for Quality Television Awards for Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Series and a Screen Actors Guild trophy for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and five Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series nominations for her work on the series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series ended in 2005 after nine seasons.
While starring on Everybody Loves Raymond, Heaton played the leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies. In 1997 she starred alongside Meredith Baxter and Della Reese in the drama film Miracle in the Woods.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2001, she starred in the Christmas drama A Town Without Christmas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, she starred in the comedy-drama The Goodbye Girl, a remake of the 1977 film of the same name. For her performance, Heaton received Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2005, she starred and produced the romantic comedy-drama film The Engagement Ring.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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. Heaton also was featured on the cover of the company's 2003 and 2004 annual reports. In 2007, Albertsons created the Crazy About Food slogan/campaign and Heaton's association with the company ended.Template:Citation needed She has also appeared in advertisements for Pantene hair-care products.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Heaton was the producer for the 2005 documentary The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania, which was directed by her husband, David Hunt. She was also one of the producers of the William Wilberforce drama Amazing Grace (2006).
In 2006, Heaton played United States Ambassador Barbara Bodine in the controversial miniseries The Path to 9/11 about the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the events leading up to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Also that year, she starred and produced the untitled ABC comedy pilot about a widowed mother who joins the P.T.A. where she befriends two women she initially dislikes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2007, Heaton returned to the stage to co-star with Tony Shalhoub in the off-Broadway play The Scene at Second Stage Theatre in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For this performance, Heaton was nominated in the Outstanding Lead Actress category for the 22nd Lucille Lortel Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2007 to 2008, she starred with Kelsey Grammer in the Fox comedy series, Back to You. The show about a squabbling anchors of a news program was canceled in May 2008. For her performance, she was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 10th Satellite Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, she starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Front of the Class, based on the real story of a mother, Ellen Cohen, raising a son, Brad Cohen, who has Tourette syndrome.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2009, Heaton began starring as Frankie Heck in the ABC comedy series, The Middle. The series received positive reviews from critics and lasted nine seasons with 215 produced episodes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She received Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, Heaton was ranked at number 24 on the TV Guide Network special, Funniest Women on TV.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 22, 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her production company is FourBoys Entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She starred and produced the 2014 comedy film Moms' Night Out. The film was released by Sony Pictures Releasing on May 9, 2014, receiving mostly negative reviews from critics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In October 2015, Heaton began hosting Patricia Heaton Parties, a cooking show on Food Network. The program showcases party-friendly foods and home-entertaining tips. The series won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2016 for Outstanding Culinary Program.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The show ended after two seasons. She also did voice over work in the animated films The Star (2017) and Smallfoot (2018).
2019—present
In 2019, Heaton returned to television with the CBS comedy series, Carol's Second Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The series received average reviews from critics, but her performance was praised.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Carol's Second Act was canceled after single season in 2020. Heaton wrote a book called Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Transformation with a release date of July 21, 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, it was announced that Heaton began producing her new sitcom for Fox.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two years later it was announced that Heaton will star as the host of an upscale lifestyle show, sent to prison for embezzlement and tax evasion. She gets out after two years, forgotten and broke, and moves to Tennessee to live with her estranged sister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2022, Heaton starred opposite Brian Cox in a drama film, Mending the Line, directed by Joshua Caldwell.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It received positive reviews from film critics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It received limited release on June 9, 2023. She starred in the drama film The Unbreakable Boy for Lionsgate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, she was cast in the leading role in the psychological horror-thriller film The Beldham.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2024, she was cast for a recurring role during the second season of Paramount+ series Frasier.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2025, she starred opposite Al Pacino in the horror film The Ritual.
Personal life
Heaton has been married to English actor and director David Hunt since 1990.<ref name=people>Template:Cite news</ref> They have four sons<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and as of 2002 they divided their time between Los Angeles and Cambridge.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her memoir, Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine, was published by Villard Books in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
After her divorce from her first husband, Constantine Yankoglu, she went through a self-described "Protestant wilderness". As of June 2017, Heaton's first marriage had been annulled by the Catholic Church and she has returned to being a practicing Catholic.<ref name="cwreport">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
Heaton has been open about having plastic surgery, citing having a tummy-tuck and a breast reduction after undergoing four Caesarean sections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In a 2020 interview for Parade, Heaton revealed that she had quit drinking two years prior.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics
Template:POV section Heaton's political views have been described as conservative, and until 2021, she was a registered Republican.<ref name = Lee>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, she voiced her disapproval of her party's then-presidential nominee Donald Trump.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> She later stated that she had "given up politics" following the election, but continued to express her admiration for Mitt Romney.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref> After the January 6 United States Capitol attack,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Heaton condemned the event,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and announced that she would leave the Republican Party and become an independent voter.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
Abortion and birth control
Heaton is a committed pro-life activist and is vocally supportive of groups and causes opposing abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.<ref name="nytimes"/> Her advocacy became particularly visible during the debate regarding the Terri Schiavo case.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, Heaton is honorary chair of Feminists for Life, an organization which opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research and supports other pro-life causes on the basis of feminism.<ref name="nytimes"/>
On February 29, 2012, Heaton criticized Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke, who advocated in favor of a contraceptive mandate for health insurance plans. Heaton said on Twitter, "I don't care if anyone uses birth control – just don't charge me for it", and wrote a series of tweets mocking Fluke's activism, as well as retweeting similar remarks from her followers. After incurring criticism, Heaton apologized and deleted most of the posts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Other views
In August 2006, Heaton's name was in an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times that condemned Hamas and Hezbollah and supported Israel in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2023, Heaton was a vocal supporter of Israel during the Gaza war, releasing a video in which she compared the conflict to the Holocaust during World War II, and encouraged her followers to donate through the Beth Jacob Congregation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In October 2006, Heaton appeared in a commercial opposing a Missouri state constitutional amendment concerning embryonic stem cell research, which subsequently passed. The advertisement was a response to the election of Democratic Senate hopeful Claire McCaskill and aired at the same time as Michael J. Fox's advertisement supporting the amendment.<ref name="nytimes"/> Appearing with Heaton were actor Jim Caviezel, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jeff Suppan, Seattle Mariner Mike Sweeney, and St. Louis Rams/Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following a public outcry, Heaton later said she regretted doing the ad and sent an apology to Fox, saying she was unaware of his ad. Fox accepted her apology and later stated, "If we can have a healthy dialogue about issues that people see differently, that's marvelous."<ref name="nytimes"/>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Memoirs of an Invisible Man | Ellen | |
| Beethoven | Brie Wilson | ||
| 1994 | The New Age | Anna | |
| 1996 | Space Jam | Woman Fan | |
| 2006 | Amazing Grace | Template:N/A | Producer |
| 2014 | Moms' Night Out | Sondra | Also executive producer |
| 2017 | The Star | Edith (voice) | |
| 2018 | Smallfoot | Mama Bear (voice) | |
| 2022 | Mending the Line<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Dr. Burke | |
| 2023 | Unexpected<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:N/A | Producer |
| 2024 | The Beldham<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Sadie | |
| 2025 | The Unbreakable Boy | Marcia | |
| The Ritual | Mother Superior | ||
| Template:Pending film | Template:TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Alien Nation | Amanda Russell | Episode: "The Red Room" |
| 1989–1991 | Thirtysomething | Dr. Silverman | Recurring role |
| 1990 | Shattered Dreams | Older Dotti | TV movie |
| Matlock | Ellie Stanford | Episode: "The Brothers" | |
| 1991 | DEA | Paula Werner | Episode: "The Fat Lady Sings Alone" |
| 1992–1993 | Room for Two | Jill Kurland | Main role |
| 1994 | Someone Like Me | Jean Stepjak | |
| 1995 | Women of the House | Natalie Hollingsworth | |
| 1996 | Party of Five | Robin Merrin | 2 episodes |
| 1996–2005 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Debra Barone | Main role |
| 1997 | Miracle in the Woods | Wanda Briggs | TV movie |
| 1999 | The King of Queens | Debra Barone | Episode: "Dire Strayts" |
| 2001 | A Town Without Christmas | M.J. Jensen | TV movie |
| 2004 | The Goodbye Girl | Paula McFadden | |
| Danny Phantom | Lunch Lady Ghost (voice) | Episode: "Mystery Meat" | |
| 2005 | The Engagement Ring | Sara Rosa Anselmi | TV movie |
| 2006 | Untitled Patricia Heaton Project | Janet Daily | Pilot Template:Citation needed |
| The Path to 9/11 | Ambassador Bodine | Miniseries | |
| 2007–2008 | Back to You | Kelly Carr | Main role |
| 2008 | Front of the Class | Ellen Cohen | TV movie |
| 2009–2018 | The Middle | Frances “Frankie” Heck | Main role |
| 2011 | Easy to Assemble | Mrs. Hullestaad | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Patricia Heaton Parties | Herself | Host |
| 2019–2020 | Carol's Second Act | Carol Kenney | Main role |
| 2024 | Frasier | Holly | 3 episodes |
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikiquote
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- 1958 births
- 20th-century American actresses
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- 21st-century Roman Catholics
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- American LGBTQ rights activists
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- American expatriate actresses
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- Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
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