Ray Romano almost became an accountant. Luckily for the world of comedy, an open mike night in 1984 changed the young man’s mind, and led Ray Romano, with his nasal voice and large nose, down a path of success that few could have ever foreseen. By the time his long running CBS sitcom, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, went off the air in 2005, Ray Romano was making millions of dollars a year in salary. His unique brand of humor endeared him to a nation, a scenario that nobody could have predicted for him before he starting telling jokes in a New York comedy club one night more than twenty years ago.
Romano was born on December 21st, 1957 in Queens, New York City, to Italian American parents Albert and Lucie Romano. He went to elementary school and junior high in middle class Forest Hills, attending the same school as actor David Caruso and singer Pia Zadora did. He entered Archbishop Malloy High School in Brairwood, New York, but dropped out to go to Hillcrest High School in Queens., where one of his classmates was Fran Drescher, who would go on to make her own mark, starring in the sitcom “The Nanny. After graduating from high school in 1975, he worked at a variety of jobs, including a gas station attendant, a futon delivery man, and a bank teller. As a bank teller, Ray Romano met Anna Scarpulla, a co-worker at the Williamsburg Savings Bank in Queens. Ironically, after he had asked a pair of other women in the bank to go out with him with no luck, Anna had said yes. The couple was married in 1987, and today has four children together: Alexandra, a set of twin boys named Matthew and Gregory, and Joseph Raymond.
Ray Romano had grown up a huge fan of Bill Cosby and his style of comedy, where he drew on his own family experiences to make people laugh. Romano himself had always had the ability to crack up his buddies, but it was not until an open mike night in 1984 at a New York comedy club that Romano realized he might be able to make a living doing comedy. He began to work his day job and then perform at various clubs during the evening. He was basically a journeyman stand-up performer until he won ten thousand dollars in a 1989 competition; the exposure from the contest won jump- started his career and he began to do his routine around the country in different clubs. Eventually, he landed a guest spot on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and he was an instant hit. His brand of humor that mixed his family anecdotes with his offbeat observations tended to steer clear of political and topical subjects; eventually his deadpan delivery caught the attention of David Letterman, who started to try to develop some sort of a sitcom to feature Romano’s talents.
After he had appeared on “The Tonight Show”, Romano made an appearance in an HBO comedy special that was hosted by Dana Carvey. He wound up in several more specials of this nature that showcased young comedians and finally he landed a part on the CBS show “News Radio” in 1995, but was replaced only two days into shooting because the producers reconsidered his ability to fit the part. They felt his particular type of humor, coupled with the need to take part in a rapid fire delivery to keep pace with the rest of the cast, was a poor mix. However, Letterman had by this time been able to come up with a vehicle that allowed Romano to do what he did best. Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated, built a comedy around Romano called “Everybody Loves Raymond.” The CBS show ran from 1996 until it called it quits in 2005, going out near the top of the ratings chart. It was shaped to specifically highlight Romano’s own upbringing. He played a married sportswriter with three children whose overbearing mother, portrayed by Doris Roberts, his father (Peter Boyle) and eccentric brother (Brad Garrett) are all neighbors. “Everybody Loves Raymond” was an uncommon series in that it was a family sitcom that managed to stay fresh but did not push the envelope to extremes, as other shows have to do. Critics would describe it as a version of “‘Seinfeld with kids.” Patricia Heaton depicted Raymond Barrone’s wife in the series, a woman who constantly had to deal with her mother-in-law’s interfering ways. The network promoted the show to great extent and the critics liked it, but it was in a ratings graveyard with a Friday night timeslot.
At the behest of none other than Ray Romano’s own idol, Bill Cosby, the show was switched to Monday nights in 1997. It built an audience, despite the competition of “Monday Night Football” and “Ally McBeal”. Romano grew as an actor, despite his claim that he was merely a “stand-up comedian with a day job.” The accolades soon started to accumulate, as the show and its actors were frequently nominated for Emmy and Golden Globes awards. Romano also played his character as a guest star on “The Nanny”, “The King of Queens” {which starred his close friend Kevin James} and “Becker.” In 2002, Ray Romano provided the voice for the wooly mammoth in the animated big screen box office hit “Ice Age. He starred with Gene Hackman in “Welcome to Mooseport” in 2003 and in the ensemble movie “Eulogy” in 2004. “Everybody Loves Raymond”, consistently a ratings winner, went off the air in 2005 after nine seasons when the cast decided it would be great to go out on top.
Ray Romano’s favorite food is pizza and he loves the New York Yankees and golf. Ask him what show he likes the most and he will tell you it is “The David Letterman Show.” The character of his brother from “Everybody Loves Raymond” is the one he enjoys the best; one of his brothers in real life is a New York City police department sergeant. In May of 2000, Romano won $125,000 on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” for the New York City police department’s DARE unit.
Ray Romano’s take on things is what makes his humor so popular. He was asked about turning forty once to which he responded, “I trick myself: I imagine I’m 48, 49, wishing I was 40 again. Then I realize I am 40, and it’s great to be 40.” He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and children, and his pet, a dog named Nemo.
