Patricia Heaton

Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress. Heaton achieved her career breakthrough and global fame with her portrayal of Debra Barone in the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005). She began her career appearing in a recurring role in the ABC drama series Thirtysomething (1989–1991) and later appearing in the comedy films Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Beethoven (both 1992). Heaton went on to star in the short-lived sitcoms Room for Two (1992–93), Someone Like Me (1994) and Women of the House (1995). Her Raymond performance earned her seven nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning the award in 2000 and 2001. She received five nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series as well and won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2003. She also played the leading roles in the made-for-television movies A Town Without Christmas (2001), The Goodbye Girl (2004) for which she received Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, and Front of the Class (2008). From 2009 to 2018, Heaton starred as Frances "Frankie" Heck in the ABC comedy series The Middle for which she received Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She hosted and produced Food Network cooking series Patricia Heaton Parties (2015–16), winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Culinary Program.