Doris Roberts

Doris Roberts
Roberts in December 2010
Born	Doris May Green (1925-11-04)November 4, 1925 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	April 17, 2016(2016-04-17) (aged 90) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1951–2016
Spouse(s)	Michael E. Cannata ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1962)​ William Goyen ​ ​ (m. 1963; died 1983)​
Children	1

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 (1996–2005).

Early life

Roberts was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Ann Meltzer, raised Roberts in the 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

Roberts with Rip Taylor in November 2010

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).

Roberts in April 2011

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".) She has usually been cast as a mother or mother-in-law on television, i.e. as Theresa Falco on Angie. She later appeared as Mildred Krebs on Remington Steele.

After that show 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 her most recent 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 previously won an Emmy for a guest appearance on St. Elsewhere, playing a homeless woman, and she was also nominated once 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, Roberts 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, Roberts 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.

She 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; the character disliked Frankie. 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.

Other interests

An avid cook, Roberts wrote Are You Hungry, Dear? Life, Laughs, and Lasagna in 2005, co-written with Danelle Morton and published by St. Martin's Press.

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.

Charity work

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.

Personal life

Roberts married Michael Cannata; 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. They were married from 1963 until his death from leukemia.

On September 4, 2002, Roberts testified before a U.S. Congressional panel that age discrimination is prevalent in Hollywood, advocating that such discrimination be treated on par with biases against race and gender. She was a registered Democrat.

Doris Roberts died on April 17, 2016 in Los Angeles, California, aged 90.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Something Wild	Mary Ann's Co-Worker
1967	Barefoot in the Park	Hotel Maid	Uncredited
1967	Divorce American Style	Hypnotic Subject	Uncredited
1968	No Way to Treat a Lady	Sylvia Poppie
1968	A Lovely Way to Die	Feeney
1970	The Honeymoon Killers	Bunny
1971	Little Murders	Mrs. Chamberlain
1971	A New Leaf	Mrs. Traggert
1971	Such Good Friends	Mrs. Gold
1972	The Heartbreak Kid	Mrs. Cantrow
1974	The Taking of Pelham One Two Three	Jessie
1975	Hester Street	Mrs. Kavarsky
1978	Rabbit Test	Mrs. Carpenter
1979	Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff	Marie
1979	The Rose	Mrs. Foster
1987	Number One with a Bullet	Mrs. Barzak
1989	National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation	Francis
1992	Used People	Aunt Lonnie
1995	The Grass Harp	Mrs. Richards
1999	A Fish in the Bathtub	Frieda
2001	All Over the Guy	Esther
2003	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Peggy Roberts
2004	Raising Waylon	Great Aunt Marie
2006	Grandma's Boy	Grandma Lilly
2006	Keeping Up with the Steins	Rose Fielder
2009	Play the Game	Rose Sherman
2009	Aliens in the Attic	Nana Rose Pearson
2009	Another Harvest Moon	Alice
2011	Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension	Mrs. Thompson
2012	Madea's Witness Protection	Barbara
2014	The Little Rascals Save the Day	Grandma	Video
2014	The Secret of Joy (short film; "Woman of the Flowers" section)	Grandma
2015	Job's Daughter	Ruth Morrison
2015	Old Soldiers	Gracie McBee

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	Starlight Theatre	Operator	Episode: "Act of God Notwithstanding"
1952	Studio One in Hollywood	The Madwoman	Episode: "Jane Eyre"
1952	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"
1963	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"
1975	Medical Center	Gladys Callahan	Episode: "Two Against Death"
1975	Baretta	Mrs. Asher	Episode: "Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"
1976	All in the Family	Marge	Episode: "Edith's Night Out"
1976	Viva Valdez	Gladys	Episode: "The Nurse's Pipes"
1976	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	Dorelda Doremus	3 episodes
1976	The Streets of San Francisco	Mrs. Strauss	2 episodes
1976	Family	Etta	Episode: "Home Movie"
1976	Rhoda	Sylvia Levy	Episode: "Meet the Levy's"
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" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1983	Romance Theatre	Maggie	5 episodes
1983	Cagney & Lacey	Helen Freitas	Episode: "Jane Doe #37"
1983–1987	Remington Steele	Mildred Krebs	71 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1985	California Girls	Mrs. Bowzer	Television film
1986	Mr. Belvedere	Judge Westphall	Episode: "Deportation: Part 2"
1990	Full House	Claire Tanner	Episode: "Granny Tanny"
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Helen Owens	Episode: "Shear Madness"
1990	Blind Faith	Tessie McBride	Television miniseries
1990	A Mom for Christmas	Philomena	Television film
1991	Empty Nest	Aunt Retha	Episode: "The Last Temptation of Laverne"
1991	American Playhouse	Mimi Finkelstein	Episode: "The Sunset Gang" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
1993	The Boys	Doris Greenblat	6 episodes
1993	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"
1994	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 American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2001–03, 2005) Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series (1998–2000) Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1999–2000, 2004) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series (2004–05) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1999–2000, 2002, 2004–06)
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"
2003	A Time to Remember	Maggie Calhoun	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"
2011	Hot in Cleveland	Lydia	Episode: "Dancing Queens"
2012	Desperate Housewives	Doris Hammond	Episode: "Lost My Power"
2013–2014	Melissa & Joey	Sofia	3 episodes
2014	Touched	Norma	Television movie

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award wins

• 1983 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — St. Elsewhere: Cora and Arnie
• 2001 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond
• 2002 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond
• 2003 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond
• 2005 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond

Emmy Award nominations

• 1985 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Remington Steele
• 1989 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series — Perfect Strangers: Maid to Order
• 1991 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Special — The Sunset Gang
• 1999 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond
• 2000 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond
• 2004 — Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Everybody Loves Raymond

Outer Critics Circle wins

• 1974 — Outstanding Actress in a Play — Ravenswood

External links

• Doris Roberts at IMDb
• Doris Roberts at the Internet Broadway Database
• Doris Roberts at the University of Wisconsin's Actors Studio audio collection
• National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations website