IT SEEMS EVERYBODY LOVES DORIS ROBERTS
By Jamie McKenna

I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting and interviewing actress Doris Roberts last Friday in Montauk. As many of you know, Doris plays Marie, Raymond's mother, on the acclaimed CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" for which she won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2001 and Supporting Actress of the Year in a Comedy Series at the 2001 TV Guide Comedy Awards. The role also won her two Viewers for Quality TV Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy, and in 1999 the American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Performer in a TV Series, all on top of multiple Emmy nominations.

We convened at the Skippers cottage at Gurney's Inn, the popular beachfront resort. She’s here for a week's visit with her son and manager, Michael Cannata, and his three children, Kelsey, Andy, and Devon. Having spent many summers in the Hamptons before moving to Los Angeles, Roberts loves Montauk and finds it remarkably tranquil. Between spa treatments and raving about Sea Grille Chef Christopher Von Eissler's delicious cuisine, Doris said, "I just love running into the ocean and screaming, ‘Here comes the big one!’"

At 71 years old, Doris Roberts is a woman who defies age. Radiant and energetic, she is always ready for the next project, of which there are many. She's working on a book titled Are You Hungry, Dear (sound familiar?) which she's hoping will hit the stores by next Mother's Day. "It's about sharing bits and pieces I've learned from my past, such as, ‘You can look back, but don't stare.’ Some people just keep staring!" she said.

Her First Song
In between filming for "Everybody Loves Raymond's" sixth season, she has a feature film in the works with David Spade, and she will be seen in the upcoming CBS TV movie, "One True Love." By next spring, expect to see her "star" appear on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.
Although born in St. Louis, Doris grew up in the Bronx and Manhattan. She started acting in kindergarten and wrote a play in the first grade. When she was seven, she wrote her first song, which she kindly sang for me as we stared out over the magnificent Atlantic. She was educated in NYC public schools before a brief stint at New York University, which led her to the acclaimed Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

When asked about any sage advice for aspiring actors, Doris responded, "Ask
yourself, ‘Do I want to be an actor or do I want to be a celebrity?’ Because being an actor is hard work. It takes persistence and passion and craft. You have to really study and be willing to accept rejection often. I mean often."She continued: "And if you think that getting a job validates you, it doesn't. I'm blessed. I love working. Unfortunately, it defines me." And in terms of the gratification she receives as an actor, well, she confided that a cancer patient once told her that she made her laugh so much she forgot she was ill.

Passionate about ageism and its effect on business and our society, Roberts was recently invited to attend a Senate hearing on the topic. "I'm 71 and it's just beginning for me. It's all working, I have a lot to contribute, and my age group controls a lot of money in this country. But you can't find us, the over-50 crowd, in magazines or on television or in movies or writing. I mean, where is Bea Arthur? We're the only country in the world that doesn't honor their elders. Why are we shunned and put aside? The image of the older person has to change in advertising. We're not over the hill, old codgers. We've learned quite a bit and we have a lot that we can share."

Personal Favorite
Doris Roberts has enjoyed a varied and illustrious career in film, television, and Broadway. She has starred in 24 motion pictures, including Used People (1992) with Shirley MacLaine and Kathy Bates, The Rose (1979) with Bette Midler, The Heartbreak Kid, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Ruby and Oswald.

When asked about her personal favorite, Roberts doesn't hesitate to answer that it's Hester Street (1975), a film about the Russian Jews who emigrated at the turn of the century, starring Carol Kane. Coming from a Russian Jewish background, Roberts commented that they are often depicted in films as comic relief. "I wanted to be proud of my heritage. These people came over to a foreign country with nothing in their pockets and just the clothes on their backs," she told The Independent. "I love what they accomplished -- adapting to an American culture, mastering a new language, working hard and overcoming extreme difficulties. That's something to be proud of." In the medium of TV, her distinguished career spans over 20 years from 1977 to the present, with notable portrayals in "Angie," "Maggie," and "Remington Steele," for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and "St. Elsewhere," for which she received an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama.

She loves doing theater and most recently performed in The Vagina Monologues. Among her many Broadway credits are The Desk Set, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and Bad Habits, her personal favorite, which won her the Outer Critics Circle Award.

Roberts has just signed up for three more years of "Everybody Loves Raymond." "I am absolutely having the time of my life," she declared. She and the cast have worked together for over six years. "We get along well, all have families, come to work prepared and go home," Roberts said. "We trust each
other, which is important" -- no doubt a big contributor to the quality of the show as well as to its continued success.

I couldn't resist asking her if she felt she was anything like her character Marie, in real life. She responded with a resounding "I hope to God for my children's sake I'm not. My character could be a harridan; you could absolutely hate her and want to turn the knob. I walk a fine line, but I do it with love."

290 Old Montauk Highway ~ Montauk, NY 11954