Trivia: A true-to-life case of childhood dreams coming true, one gets the impression that the success of humble comedian turned actor Ray Romano is more of a surprise to him than it is to those who supported him in his years as a struggling futon deliveryman moonlighting in standup. Born in Queens, NY, in 1957 and raised in nearby Forest Hills, Queens, Romano found happiness early in life by tickling the funny bones of family, friends, and of course, girls. The middle child of three sons, the aspiring funnyman refined his comic talents when he formed the bravely titled "No Talent" comedy troupe at age 16 to the delight of the congregation they regularly performed for. Romano later put his spotlight aspirations on hold when he enrolled in Queens College as an accountants major after graduating high school in 1975. Dabbling in odd jobs as he developed his stage skills on the late-night comedy circuit, Romano began an exhausting decade-long struggle to succeed as a standup while holding a more reliable day job. Married to wife Anna in the mid-'80s, Romano decided to pursue comedy full-time in 1987. It was shortly after winning a N.Y.C. radio station-sponsored comedy contest two years later that Romano acquired a manager and his dreams began to become a reality. One of those dreams, to perform in front of legendary late-night television host Johnny Carson, came true in 1991. Finally gaining national exposure and seemingly on the fast track to stardom, more television appearances soon followed, with a 1995 appearance on Late Night With David Letterman prompting Letterman to begin talks with Romano about the idea of developing a sitcom. Premiering in September 13, 1996, Everyboy Loves Raymond found the now-popular comic's offbeat domestic observations striking a chord with both audiences and critics alike. Nominated multiple times for numerous awards (including three Emmy and two Golden Globes), ELR carried on well into the new millennium, which saw the now-established comic branching out into other arenas as well. A June 1999 recording of a Carnegie Hall performance was nominated for a Grammy, and his novel Everything and a Kite turned up on the New York Times bestseller list. Television appearances on Hollywood Squares, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and a somber turn in America: A Tribute to Heroes found American households increasingly willing to welcome the good-humored everyman into their homes. It was only a matter of time before Romano tackled feature films, and with his vocal role in 2002's Ice Age, the likable comic did just that. A lighthearted animated romp which followed the adventures of a group of animals weathering the new frozen landscape in order to return a human child to its father, Ice Age gave Disney a run for their money and further proved that popular computer-animated family fare was no longer exclusive to the Mouse House. Romano lent his voice to the Ice Age franchise again in 2006 for Ice Age: The Meltdown, as well as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 2009. The actor delivered a solid performance in a supporting role for 2007's The Grand, a mockumentary following a television star trying to win a high-stakes poker tournament, and was praised for his lead performance in TNT's comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.

Trivia: Born and raised in Ohio, actress Patricia Heaton got her start on the stage, performing with the off-Broadway company Stage Three. In 1989, she got her screen-acting big break when she was cast in a recurring role on ABC's thirtysomething. Over the next several years, she could be seen in a number of failed sitcoms, small TV guest roles, and bit film parts. But in 1996, Heaton landed the role that would make her career, that of long-suffering matriarch Debra Barone on the hit CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Heaton starred on the show through its nine-year run, receiving seven consecutive Emmy nominations and two wins. Following the conclusion of Everybody Loves Raymond in 2005, Heaton appeared in a pair of made-for-TV movies (The Engagement Ring and The Path to 9/11) before making her way back to sitcom territory in 2007, when she began starring as a TV news anchor opposite Kelsey Grammer on Fox's Back to You, and again 2009 for The Middle, in which she plays the lead role of Frankie Heck, a working-class mother devoted to her family despite her struggles at work and as caretaker for her ailing mother.

Trivia: In 1999, Doris Roberts achieved "overnight" stardom in the role of Marie Barone in the series Everybody Loves Raymond, going from working actress -- which she'd been for more than 40 years -- to being an instantly recognized performer. It was an improbable climb to the top rank of popular culture stardom. Roberts was born in St. Louis, MO, in 1925, to a family that was soon shattered when the father abandoned them. She had a difficult but loving childhood as her mother sought to provide for both of them by herself, and eventually Roberts gravitated toward the idea of an acting career. To do this, she had to work at any jobs that she could find, including clerk typist, to afford the lessons that she needed from teachers that included Lee Strasberg and Sanford Meisner. She made her first television appearance in the early '50s, in a Studio One production of Jane Eyre, and made the usual rounds between theater and television. Her theatrical debut came on the a stage at New York's City Center in 1955, and she was Shirley Booth's understudy in the theatrical version of the comedy Desk Set. She distinguished herself in the role of Mommy in the original production of Edward Albee's The American Dream, and since the early '60s, had carved a niche for herself in maternal and neighborly roles, on both stage and screen. Following her screen debut in Jack Garfein's New York-filmed drama Something Wild (1961), she tended more toward comedy (albeit often black comedy), with performances in Jack Smight's No Way to Treat a Lady, where she played the skeptical onlooker whose questions and low-key intervention save the life of a would-be victim; Leonard Kastle's The Honeymoon Killers (1970), in which she played the roommate of the nurse-turned-murderer played by Shirley Stoler; and Alan Arkin's Little Murders (1971), where she played Elliott Gould's mother. Female comics seemed to perceive Roberts' gifts as an actress especially well, as she got two of her better roles, in A New Leaf (1971) and Rabbit Test (1978), from Elaine May and Joan Rivers, respectively. Although she began appearing in television in the 1950s, with appearances on Ben Casey, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Baretta, All in the Family, The Streets of San Francisco, Rhoda, Soap, and Barney Miller, Roberts didn't start to make a lasting impression in the medium -- which would become her vehicle for stardom -- until the 1970s. She was supposed to have a role in a proposed new series starring Mary Tyler Moore, but when that series failed to sell, she was cast in the role of Donna Pescow's mother in the series Angie (1979), which got Roberts her first real notice by the public or the press. After that, the television appearances grew more frequent, and finally in 1983, she joined the cast of Remington Steele midway through the series' run, as Mildred Krebs, an IRS investigator-turned-secretary-turned-detective, working alongside Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist, and often stealing the show with her low-key comedic work. Roberts' first marriage ended in divorce, and her second, to novelist William Goyen, ended when he died in 1983 -- her son from her first marriage, Michael Cannata, has been her manager since the 1970s. It was a dozen years after Remington Steele, and some notable guest star appearances on shows like St. Elsewhere, that she landed the role of Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond. Since then, she has been a guest on talk shows and an acting celebrity, with a brace of Emmy nominations to her credit.In 2003 Roberts published the book Are You Hungry, Dear?: Life, Laughs and Lasagna, and the following year she was appointed a cultural ambassador by the U.S. Department of State. But back on the small screen Roberts was more recognizable than ever before, with appearances in Grey's Anatomy, Hot in Cleveland, and Desperate Housewives keeping her as active as ever. Roberts continued to work steadily until her death in 2016, at age 90.

Trivia: Comedic actress Nora Dunn has frequently played acerbic character roles in films and TV as foils to generally likeable leads. She was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990, when she left due to the controversial episode with musical guest Sinead O'Connor and host Andrew Dice Clay. During her five-year run, she played several talk show hosts and was one of the Sweeney Sisters, along with Jan Hooks. She made her film debut in Mike Nichols' Working Girl (1988) as a jaded office worker, followed by Savage Steve Holland's How I Got Into College (1989) as an SAT coach. Her next few films were less successful: Stepping Out, Born Yesterday, and I Love Trouble. She turned back to TV and joined the cast of the NBC drama Sisters as the lesbian TV producer Norma Lear, followed by the CBS comedy The Nanny as Dr. Reynolds. In the late '90s, she had a few small yet funny roles in the more successful films The Last Supper, Bulworth, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Three Kings. She also used her vocal talent to provide voices for the animated TV shows Futurama, The Wild Thornberrys, and Histeria! In 2001, she played the mom in Max Keeble's Big Move, a fashion designer in Zoolander, and Miss Madness in Heartbreakers. Her 2003 projects include the independent comedy Die Mommie Die, the Jim Carrey feature Bruce Almighty, and the romantic comedy Laws of Attraction.

Trivia: Lead actress, onscreen from 1989.

Trivia: Performed stand-up in Florida and then New York before working in television and film. Made his film debut playing Bouncer / Doorman in the 1996 action spoof Spy Hard. First recurring TV role was Gianni on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Reunited with Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Momano for the TNT comedy/ drama series Men of a Certain Age in which he played Manfro.

Trivia: His late-night dog-and-pony show has featured stupid tricks from various species, introduced non-New Yorkers to Rupert Jee's Hello Deli and infamous correspondents Mujibur and Sirajul, and earned numerous awards and laughs. David Michael Letterman was born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, IN, to Harry, a florist, and Dorothy, a church secretary. He has two sisters, Janice and Gretchen. While attending Broad Ripple High School, he was a stock boy at Atlas Supermarket. Heading off to college, he studied radio and television at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and graduated with a B.A. in 1969. Letterman stayed in Indiana and worked as a radio talk show host, the host of a children's program called Clover Power, a late-night movie host, news anchor, and a television weather man. In 1975, he moved to L.A. and wrote for the TV show Good Times and developed a comedy routine that debuted at Mitzi Shore's Comedy Store. Soon after, he began appearing on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show and then on NBC's Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. By 1978, he was Carson's regular guest host, which led to his hosting a daytime show, The David Letterman Show. While it only lasted three months, it did garner some critical accolades (and brought out the first Stupid Pet Tricks segment) and resulted in Letterman winning a spot for his own show following Carson's. Late Night With David Letterman first aired on February 1, 1982, and featured the first renditions of TV history fixtures like the Top Ten List and Viewer Mail. Skits called for various parts to be filled and even spawned would-be comedians out of Letterman's sidekick/musical director of 19 years, Paul Shaffer, stage manager Biff Henderson, and Larry "Bud" Melman (or Calvert DeForest, as he is now called thanks to network politics). As Carson wound down his late-night reign, Letterman was hopeful he would be asked to take over the coveted spot. However, in 1993, comedian Jay Leno was chosen to succeed Carson instead. Feeling slighted, Letterman put aside his disappointment at not fulfilling a life-long dream of carrying on in his mentor's timeslot and moved to CBS to head up his own show. In turn, his move to CBS, which opened the 12:30 slot for another late-late-night hopeful, Conan O'Brien. In preparing for his new home, NBC told Letterman he couldn't use certain bits from his show on CBS as they were "intellectual property" of NBC. Luckily, most of the rights belonged to the writers/creators of those skits, so the tradition of Stupid Pet Tricks and so on could continue. The first episode of the newly named Late Show With David Letterman aired on August 30, 1993, and ran opposite Leno, causing a ratings battle ever since. In what was named the late-night wars beginning with Leno's selection over Letterman, the situation created much discussion, speculation, and even a 1996 movie from HBO. The Late Shift, based on a non-fiction book by Bill Carter, depicted the drama behind who was to be chosen to take over for Carson. Although Letterman's audience is familiar with his driving record as it is the butt of many jokes, not much else is known about his personal life. He was married to Michele Cook from 1969 to 1977 and reportedly has a long-time girlfriend. Letterman introduced viewers to his mom via the 1994 Olympic Winter Games when she served as a correspondent and she has periodically appeared on the show ever since. For all his dry sarcasm, Letterman has occasionally shown a warmer, sensitive side. On January 14, 2000, he had quintuple bypass surgery. Along with his usual humor, upon his return to the show on February 21, he brought out the medical team that performed the surgery and gave them a teary, heartfelt thank you. This side came out again when new episodes of his show went back on the air a week after the events of September 11, 2001. Instead of starting with the typical monologue, Letterman sat at his desk and simply stated: "If you didn't believe it before, you can believe it now: New York City is absolutely the greatest city on earth." Other than television appearances, he has played himself in a few movies, including the Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon and Howard Stern's Private Parts, and some of his standup comedy can be found on The Comedy Store 20th Birthday. One character performance went uncredited, but is well known to Letterman fans nonetheless. In Chris Elliot's Cabin Boy, he plays a sarcastic villager Elliot's character encounters during a port stop. Along with hosting his own show, he also hosted the 1994 Academy Awards, where he came up with his famous introduction skit "Uma, Oprah. Oprah, Uma." Most celebrities pay the price for their fame by giving up their private lives. While Letterman does well to guard his, he couldn't keep one over-adulate fan at bay. Stalker Margaret Ray claimed on several occasions to be Letterman's wife and the mother of his (fictional) son. She had broken into his Connecticut home on a few occasions and had served ten months in prison and 14 months in a mental institution in relation to these violations. In October of 1996, she committed suicide by kneeling in front of an ongoing train in Colorado. Oddly enough, Letterman went back to work for NBC in 2000 by serving as an executive producer of the network's comedy-drama Ed. He is also the co-owner and founder of the Worldwide Pants production company, which also produces CBS's hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond. In March 2002, ABC was looking to get rid of its news program Nightline, hosted by Ted Koppel and replace it with Letterman's show. After much speculation, Letterman decided to stay at CBS, but not without voicing his own support of veteran newsman Koppel.In November 2003 Letterman became a father at the age of 56 when his girlfriend Regina Lasko gave birth to a son, Harry Joseph Letterman, named in honor of Letterman's late father. On March 21, 2009, Letterman and Lasko married in Montana.

Trivia: Moved with his family to Riverside, California when he was 6 months old and was cast in Everybody Loves Raymond less than one year later.Perhaps best known for his role Geoffrey Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.Starred, as on-screen siblings, with his sister Madilyn and identical twin brother Sullivan on Everybody Loves Raymond.Made his feature film debut playing Young Frank in the 2002 comedy Frank McKlusky, C.I.Name "Sawyer" originates from Middle English and means "sawer of wood."