We may best remember Doris Roberts for her "Everybody Loves Raymond" role, which ran for nine seasons and earned her four Emmys, but the actress — who died Sunday at age 90 — had a stellar career on both stage and screen that lasted over 65 years.
"Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me," her "Raymond" co-star Ray Romano said in a statement. "She never stopped. She did it all with such a grand love for life and people and I will miss her dearly."
Roberts' TV career spanned the history of the medium. Her first credit on IMDB was on "Starlight Theater" in 1951, and there are no fewer than four projects she appeared in just recently that are slated for release this year. During her career she appeared on such shows as "Remington Steele," "Soap," "Dream On" and "St. Elsewhere," the show that won her her first and only non-"Raymond" Emmy.
In 2003, Roberts appeared on TODAY and told Al Roker that her "Raymond" character, Marie Barone, was immediately identifiable for audiences. "They can laugh at me, and if you can laugh at me and the things that I do on that show, you can laugh at your own parents," she said.
In addition to her TV career, Roberts had an equally long-lasting love affair with the stage, appearing on Broadway in 1955 in "The Time of Your Life" and other productions through the 1970s. As she told Roker, she almost didn't audition for "Raymond" because at the time she was directing a play.
Meanwhile, the tributes from colleagues and fans have been rolling in on social media.
Patricia Heaton co-starred with Roberts on "Raymond":
As did Madylin Sweeten, whose twin brothers Sullivan and the late Sawyer also appeared on the show:
And so did Brad Garrett:
Roberts appeared on at least two Norman Lear productions, "Divorce American Style" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman":
Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan starred with Roberts in "Remington Steele":
To many she was "mom" in any given production, as with Tony Danza:
And to some she was grandma, like on "Full House," where she appeared as "Granny Tanny," as John Stamos and Bob Saget remembered:
And some were just plain fans, like Billy Eichner and Marlee Matlin:
Plus our own Al Roker, of course!
Truly, Roberts was a beloved Hollywood icon, and she will be missed. But she never stopped working — or loving the job of being an actress. As she told Roker in 2003, "I haven't even peaked yet."
She never did.
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