Ray Romano Biography

Ray Romano, actor

Birthdate: December 21, 1957

Birthplace: Queens, New York

Sign: Sagittarius

Raymond Romano was born in Queens, New York to piano teacher Lucie and realtor Albert. He attended school in Our Lady Queen of Martyrs for elementary and middle school. He transferred from Archbishop Molloy High School to Hillcrest High School, where he graduated in 1975. He attended Queens College and majored in accounting, but quit after three years. He would later return to the school, making it to the Dean's List for three years.

He started his career in comedy in various outlets, including a guest voice in Comedy Central's "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist." He became a contestant on Star Search doing stand-up comedy. He landed the role of Joe in "NewsRadio" but he was fired and was replaced by Joe Rogan. The writers commented on the show's Season 1 DVD that Romano's particular brand of slow speech contrasted with the fast-paced hectic arena of New York talk radio station.

Romano then starred in his own show "Everybody Loves Raymond," which is based on his real-life experiences and the writing staff. In 2004, he became the highest paid TV actor in history for the role. The show also broke another record by having the highest revenue at $3.9 billion. The show lasted from 1996 to 2005.

He married his wife Anna Scarpulla, who he met while working at a bank, in 1987. They have four children together, Alexandra (born 1990), twins Matthew and Gregory (born 1993), and Joseph Raymond (born 1998).