Last Updated on February 28, 2024
Raymond Albert Romano is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.
Romano is best known for portraying Ray Barone on the award-winning CBS sitcom ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ and for voicing Manny in the famous ‘Ice Age’ film franchise. His other notable works include starring as Joe Tranelli in the TNT comedy drama ‘Men of a Certain Age’ and as Hank Rizzoli in the NBC drama series ‘Parenthood.’
Romano’s stand-up performances primarily revolve around observational comedy. However, his comic works also address several other genres, including blue comedy and slapstick.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Raymond Albert Romano |
Popular Name: | Ray Romano |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | December 21, 1957 |
Age: | 65 years |
Parents: | Albert Romano and Luciana Fortini Romano |
Siblings: | Robert Romano and Richard Romano |
Birth Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Italian |
Education: | Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Archbishop Molloy High School, Hillcrest High School, and Queens College (did not graduate from college) |
Marital Status: | Married |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Wife/Spouse: | Anna Scarpulla Romano (since 1987) |
Children: | Alexandra “Ally” Romano, Gregory “Greg” Romano, Matthew “Matt” Romano, and Joseph Romano |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | USD 200 million |
Source of Wealth: | Comedy, Acting, Screenwriting, Television Producing, and Other Ventures |
Height: | 6′ 2″ (1.87 m) |
Weight: | 80 kg; In pounds: 176 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Raymond Albert Romano was born on December 21, 1957, in New York City, New York, United States, to Albert Romano and Luciana “Lucie” Fortini Romano. His father was an engineer and real estate agent whereas his mother was a piano teacher.
Ray Romano attended Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills for his elementary and middle school education. He subsequently began his high school education at Archbishop Molloy High School before later transferring to and eventually graduating from Hillcrest High School in 1975.
After high school, Romano momentarily studied accounting at Queens College in Flushing, New York. However, he abandoned his studies to pursue a career in showbiz.
Career Information
Ray Romano began his comedy career as one of the competitors on the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search in 1989. The competition was directed by ‘Saturday Night Live’ film producer Neal Marshad and was aired on The Comedy Channel.
Romano’s superb performance on the Johnnie Walker Comedy Search made him a frequent guest at Comedy Central, where he lent his voice to the ‘Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist’ show on several occasions. He also competed in the stand-up comedy category of the ‘Star Search’ show.
In 1990, Romano made his film debut as a policeman in the short movie ‘Caesar’s Salad.’
Ray Romano continued to hone his acting and comedy skills by appearing on many shows, including ‘Late Show with David Letterman.’ His big break eventually came in 1996 when he began to portray Raymond Barone on the CBS series ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ He starred in the show until 2005, appearing in a total of 210 episodes. Besides starring in ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ Romano also served as its writer and executive producer.
Romano landed numerous movie roles while starring in ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ He voiced Manfred “Manny” in the 2002 film ‘Ice Age’ and later reprised his role in the movie’s sequels – Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). He also appeared in the 2004 films ‘Welcome to Mooseport,’ ‘Eulogy,’ and ’95 Miles to Go.’ On television, Romano was most noted for featuring on Cosby (1997), The King of Queens (1998 – 2005), and Sesame Street (2002). His other major television roles during the same period were in episodes of The Nanny (1998) and Becker (1999), as well as two hosting roles on Saturday Night Live (1999 –2003), a guest appearance on All That (2002), and as a voice actor on The Simpsons (2005).
Ray Romano would later feature in tons of other movies and television shows. Noteworthy ones include:
Films
• Grilled (2006)
• The Last Word (2008)
• The Grand (2008)
• Rob the Mob (2014)
• The Big Sick (2017)
• Paddleton (2019; also as an executive producer)
• Bad Education (2019)
• The Irishman (2019)
Television
• The Knights of Prosperity (2007)
• Hannah Montana (2008)
• Men of a Certain Age (2009 – 2011)
• The Office (2011)
• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011; television special)
• Maron (2014)
• Parenthood (2012 – 2015)
• Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (2016; television special)
• Vinyl (2016)
• Kevin Can Wait (2016)
• Get Shorty (2017 – 2019)
• One Day at a Time (2020)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
• (2021)
• Made for Love (2021 – 2022)
Romano has also written the screenplay for many films and television shows he has featured in. Examples include several ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ and ‘Men of a Certain Age’ episodes.
Other Ventures
Ray Romano is also an author with three books to his name. They include Everything and a Kite (1999), Raymie, Dickie and the Bean (2005), and Everybody Loves Raymond: Our Family Album (2004).
Award and Recognitions
Romano has won at least 10 prestigious awards. These include 3 Primetime Emmy Awards, 3 People’s Choice Awards, and 1 Screen Actors Guild Award, among others.
Ray Romano’s Net Worth
Ray Romano has a net worth of $200 million, as at 2023. Romano’s millions are courtesy of his career as a stand-up comedian, actor, and screenwriter.
In 2004, Ray Romano became the highest-paid television actor in history, with the bulk of his television earnings coming from his roles on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’ Ray’s earnings from the series’ first four seasons were never made public. But beginning from the fifth to the seventh season, Romano took home a whopping $800,000 per episode. That’s about $19 million per season and $57 million for the three seasons alone.
For the last two seasons of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ Romano earned $1.75 million per episode. That’s roughly $40 million for the eighth season and $28 million for the following season after adjusting for inflation.
Lessons from Ray Romano
Ray Romano’s rise to the top proves how the kindness of friends and strangers can propel one to stardom. The comedy star has revealed in multiple interviews that the producers of ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ were always happy to help him hone his acting skills.
Romano has also taught us that the best way to face our fears is to confront them head-on. The stand-up sensation grappled with anxiety and depression while growing up. However, he was able to overcome these conditions by accepting acting roles which helped him harness self-esteem.
Through Ray Romano, we also learn the importance of appreciating those who’re dear to us. Romano chose to celebrate his family by featuring them on various ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ episodes. He also named characters on the show after his real family members.
Famous Quotes by Ray Romano
I didn’t want to have to follow ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ with another sitcom. Let it be my sitcom legacy, and leave it at that.
My career has been my craziest adventure.
My kids are growing up and it’s hard to accept they are their own person and they’re independent.
The best comedy, I feel, comes in a drama because it balances each other out.
The successful golfers – they’re like astronauts or pilots. They have that demeanor that they can focus and stay within that one moment and nothing distracts them. That’s not me.
Summary
Ray Romano is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians of his generation. Although he became widely known for his role on the ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ television series, Romano has scores of acting and comedy credits to his name. He’s also unlikely to go broke anytime soon, as is evidenced by his $200 million net worth.