Doris Roberts Biography

Doris Roberts (born Doris May Green; November 4, 1925 - April 17, 2016) was an American actress. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which began in 1951. She was perhaps best known for her role as Raymond Barone's mother, Marie Barone, on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which ran from 1996-2005.

Early life

Roberts was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Ann Meltzer, raised Roberts in The Bronx, New York, with the assistance of her own parents, after her husband Larry deserted the family. Roberts' stepfather, whose surname she took as her own, was Chester H. Roberts. Chester and Roberts' mother operated the Z.L. Rosenfield Agency, a stenographic service catering to playwrights and actors. Roberts was Jewish (her family was from Russia).

Career

Film and television

Roberts' acting career began in 1952 with a role on the TV series Studio One. She appeared in episodes of The Naked City (1958-63), Way Out (1961), Ben Casey (1963), and The Defenders (1962-63). In 1961, she made her film debut in Something Wild (1961).

She appeared in such 1960s and 1970s films as A Lovely Way to Die, No Way to Treat a Lady, The Honeymoon Killers, Such Good Friends, Little Murders, and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. In 1978, she appeared in a film about John F. Kennedy's assassination, Ruby and Oswald, in which she played Jack Ruby's sister. She also appeared very briefly in The Rose, as the mother of the title character (played by Bette Midler).

In an interview with the Archive of American Television, Rue McClanahan confirmed that in 1972 she was approached by Norman Lear during the taping of an All In The Family episode to be a late replacement for Roberts, who was originally intended for the role of Vivian in Maude. (Roberts later guest starred in a 1976 All in the Family episode, "Edith's Night Out".) Roberts played Theresa Falco on Angie, and later appeared as Mildred Krebs on Remington Steele.

After Remington Steele ended, she starred in the TV movie remake of If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium (1987) and the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). She appeared on Alice, playing the mother of the title character (played by her former Broadway co-star Linda Lavin), on Barney Miller as the wife of a man who secretly went to a sex surrogate, and on Full House as Danny Tanner's mother, Claire. She played the unhinged "Flo Flotsky" on four episodes of Soap; Dorelda Doremus, a faith healer, on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; and lonely Aunt Edna on Step by Step.

Roberts achieved much of her fame for her role as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond. She was reportedly one of 100 actresses considered for the role. For her work on the series, she was nominated for seven Emmy Awards (and won four times) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She had previously won an Emmy for a guest appearance on St. Elsewhere, playing a homeless woman, and was also once nominated for her role on Remington Steele. She was nominated for appearances on Perfect Strangers and a PBS special called The Sunset Gang. In 2003, she made a guest appearance as Gordo's grandmother in Lizzie McGuire. The same year, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2006, she starred in Our House where she portrayed a wealthy woman who took homeless people in her house, and in Grandma's Boy. In 2007, she made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. In 2008, she appeared in the romantic comedy Play the Game alongside Andy Griffith, who plays a lonely widowed grandfather re-entering the dating world after a 60-year hiatus.

Roberts appeared in the 2009 film Aliens in the Attic, which was filmed in Auckland, New Zealand. She played George Needleman's mother in Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection (2012). On September 23, 2010, she played Ms. Rinsky, Brick Heck's schoolteacher in the second season premiere episode of The Middle. This appearance reunited her with Patricia Heaton, her co-star from Everybody Loves Raymond. Roberts returned in two other episodes that season, "The Math Class" and the finale, "Back to Summer".

Stage

Roberts' stage career began in the 1950s on Broadway. She appeared in numerous Broadway shows including The Desk Set (with Shirley Booth), Neil Simon's The Last of the Red Hot Lovers (with James Coco and Linda Lavin) and Terrence McNally's Bad Habits. She starred in McNally's Unusual Acts of Devotion at the LaJolla Playhouse in June 2009.

Honors

In May 2005, Roberts received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the University of South Carolina. She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 7, 2011. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2003, at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Advocacy and other work

On September 4, 2002, Roberts testified before a U.S. Congressional panel that age discrimination was prevalent in Hollywood. She was a registered Democrat.

An animal rights advocate, Roberts worked with the group Puppies Behind Bars, which works with inmates in training guide dogs and assistance dogs for the physically disabled and elderly, as well as dogs trained in explosives detection to be used by law enforcement agencies. She was also active with the Children with AIDS Foundation, where she served as chairwoman.

With Danelle Morton, Roberts wrote Are You Hungry, Dear? Life, Laughs, and Lasagna. The book was published by St. Martin's Press in 2003, and serves as a memoir as well as a collection of some of Roberts' recipes.

Personal life

Roberts married Michael Cannata in 1956; they divorced in 1962. Their son, Michael Cannata, Jr. (born 1957) is her only child. She had three grandchildren: Kelsey, Andrew and Devon. Her second husband was writer William Goyen and they were married from 1963 until his death from leukemia in 1983.

Roberts died in Los Angeles, California, on April 17, 2016, at age 90.

Filmography

Key

Denotes titles that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Something Wild	Mary Ann's Co-Worker	Independent rape and revenge drama film directed by Jack Garfein.
1967	Barefoot in the Park	Hotel Maid	</ref> and based on Neil Simon's 1963 play of the same name. }}
	Divorce American Style	Hypnotic Subject	</ref> }}
1968	No Way to Treat a Lady	Sylvia Poppie	Black comedy thriller directed by Jack Smight.
	A Lovely Way to Die	Feeney	Mystery film crime-drama directed by David Lowell Rich.
1970	The Honeymoon Killers	Bunny	Crime film written and directed by Leonard Kastle.
1971	Little Murders	Mrs. Chamberlain	Black comedy film directed by Alan Arkin.
	A New Leaf	Mrs. Traggert	Black comedy film directed by Elaine May and based on the short story The Green Heart by Jack Ritchie.
	Such Good Friends	Mrs. Gold	Comedy-drama film directed by Otto Preminger.
1972	The Heartbreak Kid	Mrs. Cantrow	Dark romantic comedy film directed by Elaine May and based on the short story A Change of Plan written by Bruce Jay Friedman.
1974	The Taking of Pelham One Two Three	Jessie	Thriller film directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted by Peter Stone from the 1973 novel of the same name written by Morton Freedgood.
1975	Hester Street	Mrs. Kavarsky	Romantic film based on the 1896 novella Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto and was adapted and directed by Joan Micklin Silver.
1978	Rabbit Test	Mrs. Carpenter	Comedy film directed by Joan Rivers.
1979	Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff	Marie	Drama film directed by Marvin J. Chomsky and based on the 1971 novel of the same title by William Inge.
	The Rose	Mrs. Foster	Drama film directed by Mark Rydell and loosely based on the life of singer Janis Joplin.
1987	Number One with a Bullet	Mrs. Barzak	Police detective film directed by Jack Smight.
1989	National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation	Frances	Christmas comedy film directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.
1992	Used People	Aunt Lonnie	Romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and adapted by Todd Graff from his 1988 off-Broadway play The Grandma Plays
1995	The Grass Harp	Mrs. Richards	Comedy-drama film directed and co-produced by Charles Matthau.
1999	A Fish in the Bathtub	Frieda	Comedy film directed by Joan Micklin Silver.
2001	All Over the Guy	Esther	Gay-themed romantic comedy film written by Dan Bucatinsky and directed by Julie Davis.
2003	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Peggy Roberts	Comedy film directed by Sam Weisman.
2006	Grandma's Boy	Grandma Lilly	stoner comedy film directed by Nicholaus Goossen.
	Keeping Up with the Steins	Rose Fielder	Comedy film directed by Scott Marshall.
2009	Play the Game	Rose Sherman	Romantic comedy film Marc Fienberg.
	Aliens in the Attic	Nana Rose Pearson	Family science fiction comedy film directed by John Schultz.
2010	Another Harvest Moon	Alice	Drama film directed by Greg Swartz.
2012	Madea's Witness Protection	Barbara	Comedy film directed, written and produced by Tyler Perry.
2014	The Little Rascals Save the Day	Grandma	</ref> Also known as The Little Rascals 2: Save the Day }}
	The Secret of Joy	Grandma	Short film directed and written by Max Bartoli.
2016	Job's Daughter	Ruth Morrison	Drama film directed by Emilio Roso.
	The Escort	Margaret	Short film directed by Jared Hillman.
	Old Soldiers	Gracie McBee	Adventure-drama film directed and co-written by David Rotan.
	The Red Maple Leaf	Mrs. Samantha Adams	Drama film directed and written by Frank D'Angelo.

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Starlight Theatre	Operator	Episode: "Act of God Notwithstanding"
1952	Studio One in Hollywood	The Madwoman	Episode: "Jane Eyre"
	Suspense	Woman	Episode: "A Time on Innocence"
1954	Look Up and Live	Minnah	Episode: "Rider Number Six"
1962	Naked City	Miss Tresant	Episode: "One of the Most Important Men in the Whole World"
1963	Ben Casey	Claire Forest	Episode: "Father Was an Intern"
	Naked City		Episode: "Color Schemes Like Never Before"
1969	CBS Playhouse	Shimmy	Episode: "Shadow Game"
1975	The Mary Tyler Moore Show	Helen Ferrell	Episode: "Phyllis Whips Inflation"
	Medical Center	Gladys Callahan	Episode: "Two Against Death"
	Baretta	Mrs. Asher	Episode: "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"
1976	All in the Family	Marge	Episode: "Edith's Night Out"
	Viva Valdez	Gladys	Episode: "The Nurse's Pipes"
	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	Dorelda Doremus	3 episodes
	The Streets of San Francisco	Mrs. Strauss	2 episodes
	Family	Etta	Episode: "Home Movie"
	Rhoda	Sylvia Levy	Episode: "Meet the Levy's"
1977	It Happened One Christmas	Ma Bailey	Television film
1978-1980	Barney Miller	Harriet Brauer	3 episodes
1978	Soap	Flo Flotsky	4 episodes
1979-1980	Angie	Theresa Falco	36 episodes
1979	Fantasy Island	Marjorie Gibbs	Episode: "Goose for the Gander/The Stuntman"
1980	The Diary of Anne Frank	Mrs. Van Daan	Television film
1981	Fantasy Island	Madam Clooney	Episode: "Delphine/The Unkillable"
1981-1982	Maggie	Loretta	8 episodes
1981-1982	Alice	Mona Spivak	2 episodes
1982	St. Elsewhere	Cora	Episode: "Cora and Arnie"
1983	Romance Theatre	Maggie	5 episodes
	Cagney & Lacey	Helen Freitas	Episode: "Jane Doe #37"
1983-1987	Remington Steele	Mildred Krebs	71 episodes
1985	California Girls	Mrs. Bowzer	Television film
1986	Mr. Belvedere	Judge Westphall	Episode: "Deportation: Part 2"
1990	Full House	Claire Tanner	Episode: "Granny Tanny"
	Murder, She Wrote	Helen Owens	Episode: "Shear Madness"
	Blind Faith	Tessie McBride	Television miniseries
	A Mom for Christmas	Philomena	Television film
1991	Empty Nest	Aunt Retha	Episode: "The Last Temptation of Laverne"
	American Playhouse	Mimi Finkelstein	Episode: "The Sunset Gang"
1993	The Boys	Doris Greenblat	6 episodes
	The John Larroquette Show	Mrs. Shenker	Episode: "Pilot"
1993-1995	Dream On	Angie Pedalbee	6 episodes
1994	Murder, She Wrote	Mrs. Leah Colfax	Episode: "The Murder Chanel"
	Step by Step	Aunt Edna	Episode: "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
1995	Walker, Texas Ranger	Elaine Portugal	Episode: "The Big Bingo Bamboozle"
1996-2005	Everybody Loves Raymond	Marie Barone	210 episodes
1999	The King of Queens	Marie Barone	Episode: "Rayny Day"
2000	The Wild Thornberrys	Cow #1	Episode: "Critical Masai"
2002	Touched by an Angel	Rose	Episode: "The Bells of St. Peters"
2003	Lizzie McGuire	Grandma Ruth	Episode: "Grand Ole' Grandma"
	A Time to Remember	Maggie Calhoun	Television film
2004	Raising Waylon	Great Aunt Marie	Television film
2006	Our House	Ruth	Television film
2007	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Virginia Harrington	Episode: "Privilege"
2009	Mrs. Miracle	Mrs. Merkle	Television film
2010	Miracle in Manhattan	Mrs. Miracle	Television film
2010-2011	The Middle	Mrs. Rinsky	3 episodes
2011	Grey's Anatomy	Gladys Polcher	Episode: "It's a Long Way Back"
	Hot in Cleveland	Lydia	Episode: "Dancing Queens"
	Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension	Mrs. Thompson	Disney Channel Original Movie
2012	Desperate Housewives	Doris Hammond	Episode: "Lost My Power"
2013-2014	Melissa & Joey	Sofia	3 episodes
2014	Touched	Norma	Television film
2016	Adam Astra Casting	Dame Daisy Phillips / Lois Willard / Lana delPeno / Carla Lockwood / Cleo Benington	Television film

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1983	35th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	St. Elsewhere
1985	37th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Remington Steele
1989	41st Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Perfect Strangers
1991	43rd Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special	American Playhouse
1999	51st Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Everybody Loves Raymond
2000	52nd Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2001	53rd Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Online Film & Television Association Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2002	American Film Institute Awards 2001	Actor of the Year - Female - TV Series
	54th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
	Online Film & Television Association Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2003	55th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2004	10th Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
	56th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2005	11th Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
	57th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2015	Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival	Best Actress in a Short Film	Zizi and Honeyboy
	CineRockom International Film Festival	Lifetime Achievement Award