Patricia Heaton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patricia Heaton
Heaton in 2021
Born	Patricia Helen Heaton (1958-03-04) March 4, 1958 (age 67) Bay Village, Ohio, U.S.
Education	Ohio State University (BA)
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	1987–present
Television	Everybody Loves Raymond The Middle
Political party	Republican (before 2021) Independent (2021–present)
Spouse(s)	Constantine Yankoglu ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1987)​ David Hunt ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	4
Parent(s)	Chuck Heaton (father)

Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in popular TV shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle. She has won several awards for her acting, including two Emmy Awards.

Early Life

Patricia Heaton was born in Bay Village, Ohio. Her father, Chuck Heaton, was a sportswriter. When Patricia was 12, her mother passed away. Patricia was the fourth of five children and was raised in the Catholic faith.

She has three sisters, Sharon (who is a nun), Alice, and Frances. Her brother, Michael, who was also a writer, passed away in September 2022.

Career

Starting Her Acting Journey (1987–1995)

Patricia Heaton studied drama at Ohio State University and later moved to New York City to continue her acting training. She made her first appearance on Broadway in 1987. With some fellow students, she helped create an acting group called Stage Three.

In 1989, Patricia auditioned for a role on the famous TV show Seinfeld. Her acting group brought a show to Los Angeles, where a casting director noticed her. She was then cast in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething, appearing in six episodes as a doctor. She also had guest roles in other TV shows like Alien Nation and Matlock.

Patricia Heaton at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in May 2012.

In 1992, Patricia Heaton appeared in her first major movies: Memoirs of an Invisible Man and the family comedy Beethoven. She then starred in a few TV sitcoms that didn't last very long, including Room for Two (1992–1993), Someone Like Me (1994), and Women of the House (1995).

Becoming a TV Star: Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle (1996–2018)

In 1996, Patricia Heaton got the role of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, starring alongside Ray Romano. This show became very popular and was often ranked among the top ten TV shows. It also won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.

For her role as Debra, Patricia Heaton was nominated seven times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She won this award twice, in 2000 and 2001. She was the first actor from the show to win an Emmy. She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast in 2003. Everybody Loves Raymond finished in 2005 after nine successful seasons.

While working on Everybody Loves Raymond, Patricia Heaton also starred in several TV movies. These included Miracle in the Woods (1997), the Christmas drama A Town Without Christmas (2001), and The Goodbye Girl (2004). She also starred in and produced the romantic comedy-drama The Engagement Ring in 2005.

Patricia Heaton also appeared in commercials for grocery stores like Albertsons and for Pantene hair products. She helped produce a documentary called The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania (2005), which was directed by her husband, David Hunt. She was also a producer for the historical drama Amazing Grace (2006).

In 2006, she played Ambassador Barbara Bodine in the miniseries The Path to 9/11, which was about the events leading up to September 11, 2001. She also starred in a TV pilot about a mother who joins the PTA. In 2007, Patricia Heaton returned to the stage in the play The Scene in New York City. From 2007 to 2008, she starred with Kelsey Grammer in the Fox comedy series Back to You. In 2008, she starred in the movie Front of the Class, which was based on the true story of a mother raising a son with Tourette syndrome.

In 2009, Patricia Heaton began her role as Frankie Heck in the ABC comedy series The Middle. This show was very popular with critics and ran for nine seasons, with 215 episodes. She was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011. In May 2012, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her production company is called FourBoys Entertainment. She also starred in and produced the 2014 comedy film Moms' Night Out.

From 2015 to 2016, Patricia Heaton hosted her own cooking show on Food Network called Patricia Heaton Parties. The show featured recipes for parties and tips for entertaining at home. It won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program in 2016. She also lent her voice to animated films like The Star (2017) and Smallfoot (2018).

Recent Projects (2019–Present)

In 2019, Patricia Heaton returned to TV in the CBS comedy series Carol's Second Act, where she played the main character, Carol Kenney. The show ran for one season. In 2020, she wrote a book titled Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Transformation.

It was announced that Patricia Heaton was cast in a role for an upcoming show where she would play the host of a fancy lifestyle show who goes to prison. After two years, she gets out and moves to Tennessee to live with her sister.

In 2022, Patricia Heaton starred with Brian Cox in the drama film Mending the Line, which received good reviews. It was released in a limited number of theaters in June 2023. She also starred in the drama film The Unbreakable Boy. In 2023, she was cast in the main role for the psychological horror-thriller film The Beldham. In 2024, she appeared with Al Pacino in the horror film The Ritual, which was released in 2025. She also had a recurring role in the second season of the Paramount+ series Frasier.

Personal Life

Patricia Heaton and family in the Indianapolis 500 Parade, May 2008

Patricia Heaton has been married to English actor and director David Hunt since 1990. They have four sons. As of 2002, they split their time between Los Angeles and Cambridge, England. In 2002, she published her memoir, Motherhood and Hollywood: How to Get a Job Like Mine.

After her first marriage ended, Patricia Heaton returned to practicing her Catholic faith.

Views and Activities

Patricia Heaton's political views have been described as conservative. Until 2021, she was a registered Republican. In 2016, she expressed her disapproval of her party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump. She later said she had "given up politics" after that election, but continued to admire Mitt Romney. Following some national events, she decided to leave the Republican Party and become an independent voter. However, in early 2025, she spoke positively about Donald Trump.

She has also spoken out on international issues, supporting Israel.

Filmography

Movies

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	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	Dr. Burke
2023	Unexpected	N/A	Producer
2024	The Beldham	Sadie
2025	The Unbreakable Boy	Marcia
	The Ritual	Mother Superior
TBA	Merv	0TBA	Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television Shows

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Patricia Heaton para niños