The cast of “Everybody Loves Raymond” paid a beautiful tribute to the late actors Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts during the series’ 30th anniversary reunion.
Boyle and Roberts played the parents of the protagonist, portrayed by comedian Ray Romano; Boyle passed away in 2006 at the age of 71, while Roberts died in 2016 at 90.
The 90-minute special featured clips from the series with the duo and memories shared by the cast. In their remarks, Romano and Phil Rosenthal, the show’s creator, reflected on how the actors’ deaths were especially painful for them.
“For you and for me,” Rosenthal said to Romano, “it’s very personal because their characters were so based on our own parents.”
Romano noted that Marie Barone was inspired by Rosenthal’s mother, and Frank Barone by his father: “I used to say that everything you saw Peter Boyle do, my dad probably did in real life without pants,” he joked.
Rosenthal highlighted that many people didn’t even know Boyle had studied to become a monk, or that John Lennon of The Beatles was the best man at his wedding.
Speaking about Roberts, who played Ray’s meddling mother Marie, Rosenthal revealed that they auditioned over 100 actresses for the role, but Roberts was perfect. “She was exactly what I had in my head and in my life, and she went far beyond that.”
“Everybody Loves Raymond” aired from 1996 to 2005. The series, created by Philip Rosenthal, followed the daily life of sports columnist Ray Barone, along with his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), their three young children, and his meddling parents and older brother Robert (Brad Garrett), a police officer, who lived across the street and were constantly at their house.
Early in the special, Romano made it clear that it was a reunion, not a “reboot,” because, according to him, “they would never try to do the show without them.”
Images: CBS. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
