Ray Romano
The everyman comedian who turned his family's neuroses into a sitcom empire, making the mundane hilarious for a decade.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American comedian and actor·Birthday: December 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ray Romano didn't become a stand-up comic until his mid-twenties, working his way through the clubs of New York with a shambling, relatable style centered on marriage, parents, and the petty frustrations of life. That exact material became the bedrock of 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' a sitcom that dominated television for nine seasons by mining comedy from the quiet war between a sportswriter, his wife, and his intrusively loving parents across the street. Romano's genius was in playing the bemused, often hapless center of this storm with a deadpan authenticity that felt less like acting and more like confession. The show's success made him a household name and one of television's highest-paid stars. He later proved his dramatic chops in projects like 'Men of a Certain Age' and lent his distinctive voice to the 'Ice Age' franchise, but his legacy is forever tied to the perfectly observed chaos of the Barone household.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ray was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ray Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ray's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'
- Starred in and co-created the long-running, top-rated CBS sitcom 'Everybody Loves Raymond' (1996-2005).
- Voiced the woolly mammoth Manny in all five films of the blockbuster 'Ice Age' animated franchise.
Did You Know?
He worked as a bank teller and a delivery driver for a furniture store before his comedy career took off.
He and his 'Everybody Loves Raymond' co-stars performed a stage version of the show for troops in the Middle East in 2007.
He is an avid poker player and competed in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
He released a comedy album titled 'Live at Carnegie Hall' in 2001.
“Marriage is like a tense, unfunny version of 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' only you don't get to divorce Ray.”
