On the 20th anniversary of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ see the show’s stars before they made it big
Ray Romano landed his first major acting gigs in the mid-1990s, but he was filling his résumé with earlier projects a few years prior. Pictured above on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Romano would perform comedy routines on the late shows from time to time in the early ’90s. He got his big break in 1996, when he landed a gig writing for and starring in Everybody Loves Raymond as the title character.
Before joining Everybody Loves Raymond as Ray’s wife Debra Barone, Patricia Heaton was building up her career in the late ’80s on the stage, and transitioning to on-screen roles a few years later. Pictured above in Room for Two, the actress first hit the small screen in 1989.
Brad Garrett had been in the business for about a decade when he landed a gig as Robert Charles Barone, Ray’s brother. The hilarious star started making a name for himself in the ’80s, doing comedy on shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (pictured above).
Doris Roberts had a memorable turn on Everybody Loves Raymond as Ray and Robert’s mother, Marie Barone. The late star, who died in April 2016 at the age of 90, landed her first acting gigs in the ’50s, including an onstage turn in a Westinghouse Summer Theater production of Jane Eyre (pictured above).
Peter Boyle found his spot on Everybody Loves Raymond as Frank Barone, the father to Ray and Robert and husband to Marie. The late star, who died at the age of 71 the year following the show’s 2005 wrap, picked up his first roles in the late ’60s and early ’70s, including a turn as Joe Curran in 1970’s Joe (pictured above).
Fred Willard did a two-year stint on Everybody Loves Raymond as Hank MacDougall, Amy’s father. The veteran actor also got his start in comedy, performing as a part of the Ace Trucking Company on shows like This Is Tom Jones (pictured above).
Georgia Engel starred opposite Fred Willard as Amy’s mother, Pat MacDougall. The prolific actress landed one of her first and most memorable roles in 1972, when she started playing Georgette on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (pictured above).
Chris Elliott did two years on Everybody Loves Raymond as Amy’s brother, Peter MacDougall. The Saturday Night Live alum got his start in the ’80s, doing comedy and picking up writing credits on shows like Late Night with David Letterman (pictured above).
Everybody Loves Raymond found its Lois Whelan (the mother to Debra Barone) in Katherine Helmond. The longtime actress made brief appearances in the ’50s and ’60s before making a name for herself in the ’70s, picking up credits for shows like Soap (pictured above).
