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This is a list of fictional characters from Everybody Loves Raymond, an American sitcom, originally broadcast on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005.

The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a sportswriter from Long Island, and his wife, Debra Barone. Other main characters include Ray's parents, Frank and Marie, Ray's children Ally, Michael and Geoffrey and his brother Robert, wife Amy.

Main characters[link]

Ray Barone[link]

Raymond Albert "Ray" Barone, (Ray Romano) is the protagonist of the sitcom. Most of the series’ storylines revolve around him, hence the title of the show.

He lives in New York, Lynbrook, Long Island with his wife Debra and their three children Ally and twin boys, Michael and Geoffrey Barone. He attended St. Johns University (New York) in Queens, New York. Ray is well-known through the community due to his profession as a writer for a sports column. In some episodes, he is seen reviewing a famous sportsperson. However, this is shown to have subsided in the later seasons. Due to the nature of his work, Ray is often seen on the couch watching sports rather than assisting Debra with household duties and the children.

Raymond is also shown to have a rather weak/timid and neurotic personality. He is often heard complaining in a nasally, whiny voice. His fears include not being liked by everyone and confronting his parents, particularly Marie. Ray often gets annoyed because he and Debra rarely have sex.

Parts of the backstory have explained Raymond’s attitude and personality as an adult. During their childhoods, Raymond and Robert mother spoiled them and was over-nurturing (at least with Raymond), and their father showed no love or affection for either boy and neglected them, which Ray has mimicked with his own reluctance to participate with his children.

In 2004, TV Guide ranked Ray Barone number 10 on its '50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time' list.^[1]

The character has made several crossover appearances:

• 1997: Cosby – "Lucas Raymondicus"
• 1998: The Nanny – "The Reunion Show"
• 1998–2005: The King of Queens (4 episodes)
• 1999: Becker – "Drive, They Said"

Debra Barone[link]

Debra Louise Whelan Barone (Patricia Heaton), is the deuteragonist of the sitcom and the wife of Ray.

Debra was raised by wealthy parents, Lois and Warren Whalen, and grew up in an upper-class background, unlike the other major characters in the sitcom. She has a sister, Jennifer Whalen, who is seen only once in the entire series. Following her graduation from high school, Debra travelled a lot and dated many famous sportspeople. Before marrying Ray, she worked in public relations for the New York Rangers hockey team.

Debra is emotional and very sensitive. She is stressed out as a housewife, because she has to put up not only with Ray’s corny jokes and unwillingness to help, but also with his obnoxious, intrusive family members, who often barge in uninvited and harass the couple, leaving emotional havoc in their wake.

She is frequently at odds with her mother-in-law, Marie, who shows a large amount of distaste with Debra as a mother and as Raymond's wife. Throughout the series, Debra often finds Robert the most understanding of the Barones, which tightens their relationship. At times, she is also shown to get along well with Frank, who thinks of her as a daughter and understands her attitude toward Marie. Debra’s hairstyles and wardrobe constantly changed throughout the course of the series.

Debra also appears in the King of Queens episode "Dire Strayts".

Marie Barone[link]

Marie Janella Barone (Doris Roberts) Is the wife of Frank, and matriarch of the Barone family.

As a housewife, she excels in household duties, including cooking, cleaning, and generally keeping and maintaining a good household. Marie is shown to be very narcissistic, arrogant, self-centered, conceited, and snobbish throughout the series, particularly towards her daughter-in-law Debra, and others as well, including her friends Lee and Stan, Robert’s dates, and people with whom Ray works. She has very high self-esteem and believes herself as a positive example of what every wife, mother and woman should be. She takes special pride in her Italian background and even arranges a tour of Italy for the whole family out of her own savings.

Throughout the sitcom, Marie is shown to have favorites with certain people, with her son Raymond being the first and Debra being possibly the last. Other than Frank, everyone has a hard time standing up to Marie due to her habit of making people feel guilty, although Debra does finally take a stand. Marie is well aware of her son Raymond’s reluctance to stand up to her, and in some situations takes advantage of this to achieve her own interests.

It's established in the flashbacks of "How They Met" that Marie has never liked Debra ever since she asked Ray to fix her futon at dinner time, but Marie has never admitted her dislike of Debra outright.

As her boys were growing up, Marie smothered her youngest son while completely cutting Robert out of the picture. However, in a later episode, she claimed that this was because Robert was able to take care of himself and was independent, in contrast to Ray who was a soft, weak, needy little boy (this was likely said just to manipulate Robert into getting Amy pregnant, as both he and Raymond note). In some cases, however, Marie is shown to care and be overprotective for her other son Robert. This includes when he had nightmares growing up, when he was gored by a bull in the line of duty, when he was interviewing for an FBI position, and her frequent attempts to get Robert out of the police force in effort to keep him safe.

Marie is also seen constantly arguing with her husband Frank in nearly every episode of the sitcom. However, in some situations, there have been times when they do evidence their love for one another, despite their reluctance to be open with it.

Her catchphrase is "I don't like that, [insert name]." whenever anyone says anything inappropriate.

The final episode reveals that Marie's birthday is December 9th (this was one of Frank's classic "one-liners" as he adds "1802").

Marie also appears in the King of Queens episode "Rayny Day".

Frank Barone[link]

Francis Oscar "Frank" Barone (Peter Boyle) Is the husband of Marie, and a retired bookkeeper.

During the course of the series, Frank is seen as stubborn, hungry, outspoken, and rigidly masculine. Although it is briefly mentioned that he has a soft side, Frank refuses to accept it. In episodes like "Pet the Bunny" and "Christmas Present" he indicates that, though capable of kindness and sensitivity, he deliberately cultivates a tough guy image.

He is always seen at Ray and Debra’s house on the black armchair with his pants unbuttoned and zipper open watching sports or at home ordering Marie to prepare his meals while sitting and reading the paper. During his sons’ childhood, Frank was virtually absent and had refused to show any sign of affection and love to either boy. He was constantly at odds with his wife Marie to how the boys were to be raised. He is very opinionated, outspoken, and has no problem insulting family members and strangers out in the open (this applies in particular to his wife, Marie). He calls men names like “Nancy”, “Shirley”, "Peaches", and "Mary" who don’t live up to his standards to what it takes to be a man. His main catchphrase on the show is "Holy Crap".

Throughout the sitcom, Frank is shown to have socially conservative values, particularly regarding minority groups such as gays and lesbians, and ethnic groups such as the Koreans and Japanese to which he occasionally mutters “Japanese crap”. He doesn’t follow or accept anything outside the social norms, to which his wife proclaims “Frank lives in blissful ignorance”. Despite his wife’s constant self-regard, she is accepting of these minority groups. Much to other characters' dismay, he's not above engaging in illegal or dubious activities such as gambling or stealing cable from Ray.

In his spare time, Frank is a skilled handyman and a history buff, with a particular interest in the American Civil War. He's frequently seen making repairs in Ray and Debra's house, and in "Frank Goes Downstairs" is injured while fixing their staircase. His regular get-away activity is having naked pool bath with his elderly friends at a community centre referred to as "the lodge". On every other Saturday, he takes Raymond's children to The Happy Zone.

He is a troublesome driver and the family is concerned about the way he passes remarks to other people on the road.

Frank is also a war veteran. He fought in the Korean War and he uses this as a reference for recounting stories of survival and how he came to be a “man”. In one particular incident, where all three Barone men were pretending to go to counselling sessions it was revealed that Ray and Robert had a long line of physically disciplinarian grandparents. However, Frank vowed never to be physically abusive towards his sons. In the Season 2 episode "The Gift"it is Frank's 65th birthday,making his year of birth 1932.

Coincidentally, since Boyle played the Monster in the Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein, some fans mistake his name to derive from the film. He also makes a very similar speech in an episode to the speech he gave to Robert De Niro's character (Travis Bickle) in Taxi Driver.^[2]

Robert Barone[link]

Robert Charles Barone He is Ray's older brother and the first born son of Frank and Marie, conceived out of wedlock. His birthday is April 6 and his birth weight was 12 pounds. Standing at 6' 8½", he is the tallest Barone, and has several quirks, the biggest being a nervous habit of touching food to his chin before eating it, commonly known as the "Crazy Chin", which he developed to cope with stress which started when Raymond was born and all of Marie's attention turned to Raymond. Robert is a caring uncle and still deeply cares for little brother Raymond. Robert has been a Police Officer with the New York City Police Department for 27 years, eventually attaining the rank of Sergeant and then, by the end of the series, Lieutenant. His height, appearance and demeanor are the source of much humor, but despite his huge size, Robert is a very skilled dancer.

After divorcing his first wife Joanne in 1995, Robert moved back in with his parents, became a workaholic and was acknowledged by the NYPD for never being absent one day of his career. Robert's diverse skills as a police officer even got him an interview with the FBI, but his mother intentionally interfered in the interview process. Robert was passed over but simply because the other candidates were more qualified. He was injured on the job when he was gored in the bottom by a bull. When he returned, he left the police force out of fear, and became a telemarketer. Later he took a side job as an alarm salesman for a brief time (one episode) but returned to the NYPD, mainly with Raymond's help.

Robert dated Debra's best friend Amy MacDougall for several years, despite a number of breakups. After a bad date with yet another woman, Robert ran into Amy in a bar and they soon got back together and married in 2003. In 2004, they purchased Frank and Marie's home for $26,000, but they had to welcome them back in when the elder Barones were kicked out of a retirement community in New Jersey in the episode "Not so Fast."

Robert is very jealous of his brother Raymond, who was favored by their mother, and though Robert is four years older than Ray and much taller, he constantly feels as if he's stuck in Ray's shadow. Despite the obvious favoring of Ray, Marie has claimed that there was never any favoritism. He has a very cruel sense of humor and will make fun of Raymond to no end to get a little belated revenge. He is also known for being very passive-aggressive. While not averse to picking on Ray himself, Robert does seem, however, to be protective of his younger brother; in one episode, he overhears a journalist insulting Ray at length and angrily tells him off. He also respects Ray as a well-intentioned, if generally absent, father, in the pattern of Frank. Robert serves as the moral conscience in the family, as the most virtuous of the characters, and often pleads with others when they are considering doing something questionable.

Robert also appears in the King of Queens episode "Road Rayge".

Amy MacDougall-Barone[link]

Amy Louise MacDougall (Monica Horan) is Robert's on-and-off girlfriend, and eventual wife. They met because Amy is Debra's best friend. She and Debra share the same middle name. Although Amy marries Robert in Season 7, Episode 24: "Robert's Wedding", she also appears in the previous seasons. Many issues have caused Amy and Robert to break up in the first six seasons, with one being caused by Raymond and another being that Robert had sex with another woman. Quite often, Amy apologizes to someone even if she didn't do anything wrong.

She is a bubbly girl who was raised in a family of devout Protestants, who live in Pennsylvania. She describes her parents as "people who wouldn't yell if they were on fire". Amy was a virgin when she met Robert, which Ray had a hard time believing, as Amy was 33 at the time. She eventually lost her virginity to Robert before they were married, but they were spotted having sex by their neighbors, causing Robert's neighbors to sign a sheet mandating bedroom curtains in the apartment building.

Supporting characters[link]

Hank and Pat MacDougall[link]

Henry "Hank" and Patricia "Pat" MacDougall (Fred Willard and Georgia Engel) are Amy's parents and they first appear in Season 7, Episode 14: "Just a Formality". Devout conservative Presbyterians, they oppose their daughter's marriage because of Robert's previous marital status and Catholic faith. These matters are not helped as they soon learn that the MacDougalls and the Barones are not the most compatible of families; the two sides still do not like each other after many tries at truce, although the Barones have always loved Amy, and the MacDougalls come to accept Robert. Hank refers to his wife as "mother." A running gag is the continuity of which arm Pat's purse is on, often changing several times in one scene.

Peter MacDougall[link]

Peter MacDougall (Chris Elliott) is Amy's older brother. He has a strange, psychologically unstable personality - Robert has stated that "There are squirrels juggling knives in his head" - and a sneaky, clever mind. Also opposed to his sister's marriage, he insists that he will keep trying to break it up, which explains during Robert's wedding that Robert and Ray looked at him when the pastor asked if anyone objected to Robert and Amy's marriage. Peter is single but lives with his pet house cat, Miss Puss. At first, Peter and Robert do not get along very well, but in "Peter on the Couch," the two find common ground in the fact that they both suffered from being the overshadowed older sibling and living with their parents. He is also fond of Ray, although the feeling isn't mutual.

Peter was originally introduced as "Russell", the owner of a comic book shop, and was played by comedian Paul Reubens in a one-time appearance. Russell abruptly became Peter because in Season 7, Episode 14: "Just a Formality", Peter (Chris Elliott) mentions meeting Ray at the comic book store (which was Russell).

Barone children[link]

• Alexandra "Ally" Barone (Madylin Sweeten) – Ray and Debra's only daughter. She is five years old at the beginning of the series, and is fourteen by the series finale. She was named for Romano's real-life daughter. In the beginning, she is somewhat mischievous and naughty much like her brothers, but becomes loyal and helpful by the end. However, she still occasionally fibs and answers back to her parents if she doesn't get what she wants, for example, a $250 silk dress which was only going to be worn once.
• Geoffrey and Michael Barone (Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten) – Ray and Debra's identical twin sons. They are one-year-olds at the beginning of the series and are ten by the series finale. A running joke is Frank's insistence that Geoffrey may have homosexual tendencies, such as when he walks into the two boys training to be fairies in a school play. The two are stereotypically playful, energetic, and are prone to causing chaos even without trying but in general are very well behaved. (In the pilot episode, Ray's twin boys were not played by Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten, but by a different set of twins and a set of triplets. In addition, his sons were named "Gregory" and "Matthew", after Romano's real-life twin sons).

Recurring characters[link]

• Lois Whelan (Katherine Helmond) – Debra's mother, who is gentle and sweet but easily insulted.
• Warren Whelan (Robert Culp) – Debra's father, who has a love of collecting antiques, and, in a running joke on the show, is often referred to as having a problem with alcohol.
• Uncle Mel (Phil Leeds) – Frank's older brother. Mel is mean and always seems agitated. A running gag is since he was never married, he mentions at least once in every episode he is in fact, not gay.
• Gerard (Fred Stoller) – Ray and Robert's annoying, unintelligent and hypochondriacal cousin who makes several appearances. He plays the accordion.
• Joanne Glotz (Suzie Plakson) - Robert's first wife, who is depicted very negatively. She and Robert divorced before the beginning of the series. She formerly worked as a stripper.
• Bernie and Linda Gruenfelder (Tom McGowan and Maggie Wheeler) – Married couple, friends of Ray & Debra.
• Claude Gianni (Jon Manfrellotti) – Simply known as Gianni. A contractor, ex-futon repairman, and friend of Raymond. He briefly dated Amy, much to Robert's consternation, and is disliked by Debra as immature. He was also on The King of Queens. Jon Manfrellotti first appeared as a cable guy from Lynbrook cable in Season 1, Episode 17: "The Game".
• Andy (Andy Kindler) – A fellow sportswriter and friend of Raymond.
• Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) – A friend and golf buddy of Raymond's and an IPS deliveryman (a takeoff on UPS). Before 1998, James appeared as Kevin Daniels, the announcer for the Mets. He also hosted "Sports Talk with Roy Firestone" in Season 2, Episode 1: "Ray's on TV".
• Dave (Dave Attell) - A friend of Raymond and a member of the Nemo's sponsored basketball team in Season 1, Episode 11: "Captain Nemo".
• Judy Potter (Sherri Shepherd) – Robert's NYPD patrol partner.
• Lee and Stan – Friends of Marie and Frank.
• Harriet Lichtman – Marie's bridge partner, and Frank's fantasy woman. Often talked about but only appears in Season 7, Episode 20: "Who's Next".
• Garvin (Len Lesser) – A friend of Frank's. A running gag is that when he sees Raymond, he shouts, "Hey, Ray's here! Ha-ha-ha!" while shaking his arms in the air. Lesser used a similar gag on Seinfeld when he portrayed Uncle Leo, enthusiastically saying "Jerry! Hello!" while holding out his arms every time he greeted his nephew Jerry.
• Albert (Ray Romano's real-life father, Albert Romano) – A lodge friend of Frank, seen in various lodge-related episodes.
• Max (Phil Rosenthal's real-life father, Max Rosenthal) - A lodge friend of Frank, seen in various lodge-related episodes.
• Abe Warchiser aka Bullethead (John David Conti) - Frank's worst enemy at his lodge, seen in various lodge-related episodes. He proved he hated Frank in the episode "Franks Tribute" by telling Robert and Raymond "I dont like Frank Barone!"
• Father Hubley (Charles Durning) - The local parish priest. He loves Marie's lasagna. Very wary of the Barones, his long-time parishioners, but usually has helpful advice to offer.
• Nemo (Joseph V. Perry, Robert Ruth) – Pizza restaurant owner. Disappears when Marco takes over his pizzeria and calls it Marco's.
• Angelina (Tina Arning) - a very attractive waitress from Nemo's. Ray often goes to the restaurant just to fantasize about her beauty. Appears in 4 episodes.
• Bill Parker (David Hunt) – Ray's nemesis neighbor. Parker is often seen showing-up Ray as a father, and Ray often makes jokes that Debra wishes she had married him instead, which is amusing because he is played by Patricia Heaton's real-life husband. Ray's character has said lines that has him thinking out loud that his kids are possibly Bill Parker's doing, because all the kids playing his children on the show are blond, like Bill Parker.
• Peggy Ardolino (Amy Aquino) – Single mother of Ally's best friend who has bullied Ray and later becomes Peter's girlfriend. Referred to as "The Cookie Lady" and "Peggy Hitler" by Ray. Whenever they see each other, Peggy says, "hello, Ally's dad," while he just says "hello.. Peggy," in a very intimidating way. Debra ending up scaring Peggy off so she would leave Ray alone saying- "nobody beats up my husband." Her characteristics are similar to Hitler, according to Ray.
• Molly Ardolino (Ray Romano's actual daughter, Alexandra Romano) – Daughter of Peggy Ardolino (Ray's archenemy and Debra's friend) and Ally's best friend. However, she was first seen as a flower girl in a flashback of Ray and Debra's wedding.
• Stefania Fogagnolo (Alex Meneses) – Robert's hot and jilted Italian ex-girlfriend he met while vacationing with the Barone clan in Italy. He had a fling with her in Italy while he was still with Amy, which later causes breakups with both girlfriends.
• Marco Fogagnolo (David Proval) – The intimidating and threatening Italian father of Stefania, who takes over Nemo's Pizza after the family moves to America, jokingly implying that he "did away with" Nemo. Although he dislikes Robert, he befriends Frank and Marie but the two end up fighting for his friendship.
• Brian Trenberth (Dan Castellaneta) - Was the T-ball "healthy snacks" overseer that Debra tangled with and Ray finally blew up on. Episode# 42, Season 2, "T-Ball." He was also Coach Brian in Season 6, Episode 8: "It's Supposed To Be Fun."
• Shamsky - Robert's dog he gets in season 1, episode 19, "The Dog". Makes brief cameos in other episodes.

References[link]

1. ^ TV Guide Book of Lists. Running Press. 2007. pp. 198. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-7624-3007-1|0-7624-3007-1]]. 
2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzMiWa1VKT8

Phil Rosenthal (born July 14, 1963) is the lead business columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He joined the newspaper as its media columnist in the spring of 2005, and was promoted in June 2011. He had previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Daily News, The Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin, and the News Sun of Waukegan, Illinois.

Biography[link]

Rosenthal was born in Chicago and grew up in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He is a graduate of Lake Forest High School (Illinois) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is chairman of the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication's Board of Visitors.

Lake Bluff's Rosenthal Field is named for Rosenthal's late father, a former youth baseball coach and elementary school board member. Rosenthal's mother was once Lake Bluff's village clerk and served on the local high school board.

Rosenthal is married to the former Jennie Zbikowski, half-sister of pro football player Tom Zbikowski of the Indianapolis Colts.

External links[link]

• Rosenthal's recent Chicago Tribune columns
• Rosenthal's Tribune bio
• Rosenthal's inactive Tower Ticker media blog for the Chicago Tribune

This article about an American journalist born in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Ray Romano
Ray Romano at the Night of Comedy 9 benefit to support the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (CAAF) in Beverly Hills, California on April 30, 2011. Photography taken by Angela Georgia.
Birth name	Raymond Albert Romano
Born	(1957-12-21) December 21, 1957 (age 54) Queens, New York, U.S.
Medium	Film, stand-up, television
Nationality	American
Years active	1989–present
Genres	Observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)	Everyday life, marriage, parenting, family, friends, self-deprecation
Influences	Bob Newhart[1]
Spouse	Anna Romano (1987–present)
Notable works and roles	Raymond Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond Manfred "Manny" in Ice Age film series Joe Tranelli in Men of a Certain Age
Website	RayRomano.com
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Comedy Series 2003 Everybody Loves Raymond 2005 Everybody Loves Raymond Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series 2002 Everybody Loves Raymond
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series 2003 Everybody Loves Raymond
American Comedy Awards
Funniest Male Performer in a Television Series (Leading Role) 2000 Everybody Loves Raymond

Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.

Early life[link]

Romano was born in Queens, New York, to Italian American parents: Lucie, a piano teacher, and Albert Romano (1925–March 2010), a real estate agent and an engineer.^[2] He grew up in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens.^[3] He has a brother named Richard A. Romano. Romano attended elementary and middle school at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills. After transferring from Archbishop Molloy High School, Romano graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1975.^[4] He was in the same high school class as Fran Drescher and later appeared on Drescher's sitcom, The Nanny, as an old classmate. Before getting into show business, Romano briefly attended Queens College, in Flushing, New York, where he studied accounting. Romano quit after gaining only 15 credits in three years, but he would later return, however, making it to the Dean's List for three years.

Career[link]

His early comedy career started when he competed in the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search in 1989. His career included many outlets, such as Comedy Central, where he had been a recurring guest voice on the show Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. He also was a contestant on Star Search in the stand-up comedy category. He originally was cast to play Joe (originally named Rick) on the American television sitcom NewsRadio, but was fired and replaced by Joe Rogan. He then appeared on Late Show with David Letterman doing his stand up routine which formed his ties with CBS. Shortly thereafter, he became the star of his own show, Everybody Loves Raymond on CBS, that featured a cast and format more suitable to Romano's brand of humor.

Romano and his comedian friend, Kevin James, starred in the salesman comedy, Grilled, as two guys of the same profession who are both very desperate to land a big sale. Romano was featured on a 2000 episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, on which he won US$125,000 for the NYPD's D.A.R.E. Unit. His older brother, Richard Romano (born in 1956), is a sergeant with the NYPD, and he has a younger brother, Robert Romano (born 1965).

In 2001 Romano was named one of E!'s top twenty entertainers of the year. That same year he was featured with his brother (a teacher at a school in Long Island) on a New York Police Department recruiting poster. In 2004 he became the highest-paid television actor in history for his role of Raymond on CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond. It was later revealed on E! that he had broken another record by his show having the highest revenue at US$3.9 billion.

On December 13, 2003, Romano was featured as a special guest star, sending a birthday card to Bob Barker in his eightieth-birthday bash on the twenty-seventh "Million Dollar Spectacular" special of the long-running daytime CBS series The Price Is Right.

Romano was the subject of the documentary film, 95 Miles to Go. The film documents Romano's road-trip for a series of rides across the south of the United States. The film was released in theaters on April 7, 2010, by ThinkFilm.^[5] In August 2006 Romano was interviewed in front of a live audience at UCLA by fellow stand-up veteran, David Steinberg, for an episode of Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg. The program first aired on the TV Land network in March 2007.

Romano returned to television with a new dramedy for TNT in 2008, Men of a Certain Age, which he co-created with former Everybody Loves Raymond writer, Mike Royce. It co-starred Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher.

Romano made an appearance in the seventh season of NBC show The Office as Merv Bronte, an anxious job applicant interviewing for the job left vacant by Michael Scott.

Romano made an appearance in the third season premiere of ABC sitcom The Middle as Nicky, a friend of Mike, who ruined his and Frankie's honeymoon. Romano was the second actor from Everybody Loves Raymond to be reunited with Patricia Heaton on The Middle. Doris Roberts (who played his mom Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond) guest starred in three episodes in the second season as Ms. Rinsky, Brick Heck's third grade teacher, who dislikes Frankie.

Personal life[link]

Romano at the 2010 World Series of Poker main event

Romano married his wife, Anna, on October 11, 1987. They met while working at a bank together. They have four children: one daughter, Alexandra (born 1990), and three sons: twins Matthew and Gregory (born 1993), and Joseph Raymond (born February 16, 1998). He is not related to King of Queens actor Larry Romano.

Romano's on-screen daughter for Everybody Loves Raymond was named after his real-life daughter. Also, in the series pilot, Ray and Debra's twin boys were named after Gregory and Matthew, Romano's real twin sons, but Romano felt it was too weird to have all his TV kids have the same names as his real kids, so they changed the twins' names to Geoffrey and Michael on screen.

Romano's family has made various appearances in the show. Romano's real-life daughter Alexandra "Ally" Romano made several appearances on Everybody Loves Raymond as Molly, the best friend of his on-screen daughter, Ally, and the daughter of Ray Barone's arch-nemesis, Peggy the Cookie Lady. Romano's father, Albert Romano, has made various appearances as "Albert", one of Frank Barone's lodge buddies in various episodes such as "Debra at the Lodge", and "Boys' Therapy". Romano's brother, Richard Romano, has appeared in the episodes "Golf For It", "Just a Formality" and "The Toaster".

Romano competed in the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 World Series of Poker.

In early 2010 Romano starred in the second season of The Golf Channel's original series The Haney Project in which Tiger Woods' former coach, Hank Haney, attempts to improve the golf games of different celebrities and athletes. Charles Barkley starred in the first season. Romano's goals are to finish the show being able to break 80.^[6] Romano took time off from the show to be with his father, Albert Romano, who died in March 2010. The show resumed on May 24. Romano is also a regular competitor in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am; where he finished fifth in 2012 with partner, Australian professional Steven Bowditch. It was the first time Romano had qualified for the final round after failing to do so on 11 successive occasions, previously.

In February 2012 Romano revealed that his wife, Anna, had successfully battled stage one breast cancer in 2010. Romano told People magazine that "the reason we're going public is to share our experience, yeah, but to have an effect. Our goal is to help people."^[7]

Filmography[link]

Writing credits[link]

[edit] Everybody Loves Raymond

In addition to his roles as star and producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, Romano also co-wrote the following episodes:

Season One

• "Why Are We Here?" (with Tom Paris)

Season Two

• "Golf" (with Tom Caltabiano and Kevin James)
• "The Wedding" (with Philip Rosenthal)

Season Three

• "Ray Home Alone" (with Tucker Cawley)
• "How They Met" (with Philip Rosenthal)

Season Four

• "Debra's Workout" (with Tom Caltabiano and Mike Royce)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (with Philip Rosenthal)

Season Five

• "Super Bowl" (with Mike Royce)

Season Six

• "Jealous Robert" (with Tom Caltabiano)
• "Talk to Your Daughter" (with Tucker Cawley)
• "The First Time" (with Tom Caltabiano and Mike Royce)

Season Seven

• "She's the One" (with Philip Rosenthal)
• "The Bachelor Party" (with Mike Royce and Tom Caltabiano)

Season Nine

• "Angry Sex" (with Lew Schneider and Mike Scully)
• "The Finale" (with Philip Rosenthal, Tucker Cawley, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan, Jeremy Stevens, Mike Royce, Aaron Shure, Tom Caltabiano and Leslie Caveny)

[edit] Men of a Certain Age

Season One

• "Pilot" (with Mike Royce)
• "Let It Go" (with Mike Royce)
• "Back in the Shit" (teleplay) with Mike Royce

Season Two

• "If I Could, I Surely Would" (with Mike Royce)

Awards[link]

Bibliography[link]

• (1999) Everything and a Kite (non-fiction)
• (2005) Raymie, Dickie and the Bean (children's)
• (2004) Everybody Loves Raymond: Our Family Album

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ray Romano

• Official website
• Ray Romano at the Internet Movie Database

Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom, starring Ray Romano and Patricia Heaton. It originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996 to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff. The main characters on the show are also loosely based on Romano's and Rosenthal's real-life family members.

The show reruns in syndication on different channels such as TBS, TV Land, and in most TV markets on local stations.^[1] From 2000 to 2007, KingWorld distributed the show for off-network syndication. In 2008, CBS Television Distribution took over King World's distribution, although its logo is retained on TBS. CBS only owns American syndication rights; ancillary rights are controlled by HBO and Warner Bros. Television (WBTV distributes the series outside the US in conjunction with HBO; while HBO Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video own DVD rights worldwide).

Show background[link]

The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Raymond Barone, a newspaper sportswriter for Newsday living with his family in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York. Whiny and flippant, Raymond does not take many things seriously, making jokes in nearly every situation, no matter how troubling or problematic, and constantly avoiding any sort of real responsibility.

Raymond and his wife Debra live with Ally and their identical twin sons Michael and Geoffrey (originally Gregory and Matthew in the pilot). The Barone children, played by real-life siblings, are regular characters but not a major focus. Raymond's parents, Marie and Frank, and brother Robert live across the street, and frequently make their presence known to the frustration of Raymond and Debra. Debra's frequent complaints about Raymond's family are a running joke. Out of the three unwanted visitors, Debra is particularly put off by Marie — an insulting, controlling and manipulative, though loving, woman who constantly criticizes and antagonizes Debra and coddles Ray, clearly favoring him over Robert, whose impending birth (as was established in the episode "Good Girls") drove her into marriage.

Raymond often finds himself in the middle of all the problems and arguments and proves himself incapable of taking any sort of stand, especially if there is the chance that it will bring down the wrath of his mother on him. His biggest nemesis is his brother Robert, who is insecure and jealous of Raymond for being the favorite son, as well as Raymond's relative success in both his professional and family life. Robert and Raymond are frequently seen fighting like children and picking on each other.

Raymond and Robert's father, Frank, is a very crass and obnoxious person, constantly making insulting and sarcastic remarks to everyone with whom he comes into contact. Largely an absentee father when the boys were growing up, Frank does not like to show his feelings, although, in an effort to make the character a bit more sympathetic, throughout the years several episodes were crafted to show that he actually does love his family. Frank is the only one who has the nerve to criticize Marie and often comes to Debra's defense from Marie's jibes.

Raymond and Debra constantly have marital disagreements, with Raymond preferring to watch sports television instead of talking with Debra about important matters. Like his father, Raymond works full time, leaving all the child-rearing responsibilities to Debra, and he has to be bullied into helping with any work around the house. A recurring theme on the show has them having a long interaction each night while in bed before going to sleep.

The Barones are established to be an amoral family of liars, as according to Marie in the episode "The Ball", "that's what holds us all together."

Cast and characters[link]

Characters[link]

• Raymond "Ray" Barone (Ray Romano) is a sportswriter for Newsday. He lives in Lynbrook, Long Island with his wife, Debra, and their three children Alexandra ("Ally"), Geoffrey, and Michael. His parents Frank and Marie and brother Robert live across the street. Raymond's character is loosely based on the real-life Romano, as he is the father of twin boys and a girl. Ray is emotionally unable to take any sort of stand on anything, especially if it brings him to any sort of conflict with his mother—the exception is when he protests about sex or some trivial matter. Raymond's mother favors him over Robert.

• Debra Barone (Patricia Heaton) is Raymond's wife, and the mother of Ally, Michael and Geoffrey. As a housewife, Debra claims she is frequently overworked, under-appreciated and stressed out; major reasons for this are not only because she has to deal with all the housework and her three rambunctious children with almost no assistance or support from Raymond—especially where his mother is concerned—but also because she must constantly put up with Raymond's intrusive family members. However on frequent occasions this frustration boils over and vented, primarily towards Raymond.
• Robert Barone (Brad Garrett) is Raymond's older brother and the son of Frank and Marie. Standing at 6' 8" 1/2, he is the tallest Barone, and has several quirks, the biggest being a nervous habit of touching food to his chin before eating it, once referred to as "crazy chin." Robert is a very caring uncle and still cares for Raymond, but is often jealous of the attention that Raymond receives from their mother, to the exclusion of his every achievement. Robert has been a New York City police officer for over 20 years, and attains the rank of lieutenant by the end of the series. His height, appearance and demeanor are the source of much humor. However, despite his huge size, Robert is a very skilled dancer.

• Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) is Raymond's mother, the wife of Frank, and the matriarch of the Barone family. Intrusive, controlling, manipulative and over-nurturing (at least with Raymond), she is a housewife who excels in cooking, cleaning, and other things dealing with keeping a good home and family. Marie and Frank live across the street from Raymond and Debra in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York which often irritates the latter couple.

• Francis "Frank" Barone (Peter Boyle) is Raymond's father and Marie's husband, a retired bookkeeper, and registered real estate agent, with a stubborn masculine personality. A war veteran, Frank served in the Korean War, which he frequently brings up, to the annoyance of everyone, especially his sons. He is a member of the Order of the Caribou Lodge, and was named Man of the Year by his lodge.

• Amy McDougall/Barone (Monica Horan) becomes Robert Barone's second wife (in season 7), and is the best friend of Debra, who introduces her to Robert. A recurring character for the first six seasons of the series, Amy became a main character (and Monica Horan was added to the main cast introductions) in season seven. Many issues cause Amy and Robert to break up in the first six seasons, with one being caused by Raymond. Quite often, Amy apologizes to someone even if she did not do anything wrong. She was born to very religious parents who, according to Amy, "wouldn't yell if they were on fire." (In real life, Horan is the wife of creator/executive producer Philip Rosenthal.)

• Alexandra "Ally" Barone (Madylin Sweeten), is the daughter of Raymond and Debra. She is the oldest of the Barone children. She is not seen much, even though she is credited as the main cast. She is said to be a better cook than her mother, and maybe someday her grandmother. (In real life Sawyer and Sullivan are real brothers to Madylin Sweeten.)

• Geoffrey Barone (Sawyer Sweeten) and Michael Barone (Sullivan Sweeten) are twin sons of Raymond and Debra. Their original names (in the pilot) were Gregory and Matthew. (In real life Sawyer and Sullivan are real brothers to Madylin Sweeten.)

Episodes[link]

DVD releases[link]

HBO Home Video has released the Complete Series of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. Region 4 Complete Box Set was released on August 13, 2008. In Australia, the first five seasons were re-released in 2006 in slimmer packaging (originals were wide spine cases). Also some were released with a cardboard slip cover. Also, in North America, the first two seasons were each re-released in 2010 in standard keep cases with cardboard slipcovers in a double-season pack. It is unknown whether or not they will be sold individually like this. Also, in 2012, the sixth and seventh season two-pack was reissued in the keep case packaging. It is also unknown whether or not the remaining seasons will be reissued in the slimmer packaging.

International broadcasters[link]

• Australia: the Seven Network, originally as a summer filler; Network Ten later began airing it; in 2011, regular re-runs air on Eleven and on cable network TV1 (previously on FOX Classics)
• Austria: ATV
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: RTRS, RTVUSK, TVSA, Fox Life and others
• Bulgaria: the first seasons on Kanal 1, repeated on bTV; repeats currently broadcast on BTV Comedy & Fox Life
• Canada: the first seasons aired on Global
• Chile: Sony Entertainment Television
• Croatia: NOVA TV and RTL 2
• Denmark: TV3+
• Germany: Pro7 and Kabel1, followed by Comedy Central Germany; now on TNT Serie
• Greece: Cine+ and later on Alpha TV
• India: Star World;^[2] since 2010, Big CBS, a branch of the CBS network in India
• Ireland: Comedy Central
• Israel: Channel 3 (late 1990s to 2005); reruns on Channel 2, and also in channel 14 (yes stars comedy) on YES broadcasts
• Italy: Comedy Central
• Latin America: Sony Entertainment Television channel
• Latvia: the first three seasons on TV3, SET Latvia, TV6
• Republic of Macedonia: Sitel TV
• Malaysia: NTV7
• Netherlands: reruns on RTL5 (A local version of the show called "Iedereen is gek op Jack" (Everybody Is Fond of Jack) starring Jeroen van Koningsbrugge and Linda de Mol is broadcast on RTL 4 since February 2011)
• New Zealand: TV3
• Norway: TV2; currently on TV3
• Pakistan: Star World
• Poland: Comedy Central Polska (when Comedy Central Family launched it moved to that channel)
• Portugal: SIC Comédia (until the channel was canceled by TV Cabo); SIC Mulher; now airs on SET
• Serbia: TV Avala and RTV BK Telecom; currently by Fox Life Serbia
• Slovenia: Kanal A
• South Africa: originally on SABC 3, and M-Net Series purchased rebroadcast rights and aired re-runs
• Spain: La Sexta
• Sweden: TV3 (Sweden) and Comedy Central
• Switzerland: SF zwei (German region) and on RSI La 1 (Italian region)
• Turkey: CNBC-e and the subscription-based channel ComedyMax
• United Kingdom: Channel 4 and Comedy Central

Russian version and documentary[link]

In 2009, series creator/producer Philip Rosenthal traveled to Russia to adapt the show for local audiences. His experience was documented by a film crew and released as the documentary feature "Exporting Raymond".^[3] The Russian version is titled (Russian) Воронины^[4] (Voroniny, by family name of main character).^[5]

Foreign adaptations[link]

The original American version of the show has been dubbed then broadcast in Poland under the title Wszyscy kochają Romana (Everybody Loves Roman).^[6] It was picked up by TVN and premiered on September 2, 2011. However, due to low ratings (less than 2 million viewers a week), the station put the show on hiatus after 4 episodes.^[7]

Series creator Philip Rosenthal created the documentary Exporting Raymond, about his trip to Russia to serve as a consultant in an effort to adapt the format of the show for the Russian audience.

In Egypt a sitcom of 30 episodes called el bab fl bab(close doors) aired in the month of Ramadan is an adaptation of Everybody Loves Raymond as released by the show producer.

An Dutch remake, called Iedereen is gek op Jack (Everybody likes Jack) premiered in 2011. The second season started airing in March 2012.

Reception[link]

American television ratings[link]

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps. All times mentioned in this section were Eastern & Pacific

The series finale scored a 20.2 household rating, 32.94 million viewers^[8] (29% of all viewers at the time) and an 11.2 rating among adults 18–49. At 8pm, Everybody Loves Raymond: The Last Laugh averaged a 15.3 household rating, 24.52 million viewers and a 7.5 among adults 18–49. Throughout the latter six seasons of the show, Everybody Loves Raymond maintained its position on the top ten rankings.

The highest average rating for the series is in italic text.

Awards[link]

Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Comedy Series (2003, 2005) 2 wins
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (2002)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (2000–01) 2 wins
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2002–03, 2005) 3 wins
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (2001–03, 2005) 4 wins
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for "Baggage" Tucker Cawley (2003)

Screen Actors Guild:

• Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2003)

Writers Guild of America:

• Episodic Comedy Phil Rosenthal for: "Italy", parts I and II (2002)

Nominations[link]

Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Comedy Series (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (1999–2003, 2005) 6 nominations
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2000, 2002–05) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Peter Boyle (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (1999–2005) 7 nominations
• Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, 3 nominations: Will Mackenzie "Robert's Date" (1999), Will Mackenzie "The Christmas Picture" (2000), Gary Halvorson "Finale" (2005)
• Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, 6 nominations: Philip Rosenthal and Ray Romano "Bad Moon Rising" (2000), Philip Rosenthal "The Angry Family" (2002), Jennifer Crittenden "Marie's Sculpture" (2002), Tucker Cawley "Baggage" (2003), Mike Royce "Counselling" (2003), Philip Rosenthal, Ray Romano, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan, Jeremy Stevens, Aaron Shure, Mike Royce, Leslie Caveny, Tom Caltabiano "Finale" (2005)

Golden Globe Awards:

• Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series-Comedy Ray Romano (2000–01) 2 nominations

Screen Actors Guild:

• Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999–2000, 2002–06) 6 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Ray Romano (2000, 2002–05) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Brad Garrett (2004)
• Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Peter Boyle (2002, 2004) 2 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Patricia Heaton (2002–2006) 5 nominations
• Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Doris Roberts (2004–05) 2 nominations

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official website from CBS
• Everybody Loves Raymond at the Internet Movie Database
• Everybody Loves Raymond at TV.com

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.^[1]

History[link]

The earliest recorded use^{[citation needed]} of the term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to a letter written by a young Alexander Hamilton in September 1772, when he was 15. In a letter to his father James Hamilton, published in the Royal Dutch-American Gazette, he described the response of the Dutch governor of St. Croix to a hurricane that raked that island on August 31, 1772. "Our General has issued several very salutary and humane regulations and both in his publick and private measures, has shewn himself the Man." ^{[2][dubious – discuss]} In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch, and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema, featuring particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film School of Rock.^[3][4][5][6]

Use as praise[link]

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."^{[7][dubious – discuss]}

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also[link]

• Absentee landlord
• Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
• New World Order (conspiracy theory)
• Ruling class
• The Establishment
• Power elite
• Corrections officer
• YTMND

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). Random House Dictionary of American Slang. New York: Random House.