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RAY ROMANO
Star Of Everyone Love Raymond
Funny how the most innocent things lead to the most important events. Take, for instance, national headlining comedian Ray Romano. His first outing as a comedian came at an “open mic night” in an attempt to “impress his date.” As one of the brightest, rising comedy minds in the business today, it’s strange to think that Ray Romano found the job he’s obviously cut out to do on a whim.
“It was the girl’s birthday,” recalls Romano with a chuckle, “and I wanted to give her a unique birthday present.” That gift has turned into a gift millions have shared as the Forest Hills, Queens-bred Ray Romano has had a meteoric rise to the upper echelon of American comedy. Though he admits to knowing that he could always make his friends laugh, Ray Romano never really gave stand-up comedy any serious thought until that fateful night.
Ray Romano’s first passion was to be an actor, and, by age 16, he was already involved in church plays and doing humorous skits for friends at small functions. In 1984, he switched directions and decided to give comedy his full attention, quickly getting regular work in New York and Long Island at clubs as an emcee. Within a couple of years, Ray Romano had moved up to steady work as a featured act, working his way into headlining slots locally and then branching into other areas of the country. The deliberately lengthy process proved the best way to move up the ladder. “I’m glad that my career moved at the pace it did,” offers Ray Romano, who feels no timetable pressures, “If you’re an overnight success, where do you go?”
1989 proved to be key turning point for what was an already stable career. Ray Romano won the 1989 K-Rock Miller Lite Comedy Riot first prize, which not only made him a household name in the native New York area, but also put $10,092 in his pocket. Ray Romano had been a finalist the previous year and that made the success all the sweeter. It was a major step that has since led to extensive television appearances, ranging from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno to Fox Television’s Comic Strip Live and the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Canada. HBO (15th Annual Young Comedians Special) and Showtime (Comedy Club Network) are among numerous cable networks that have repeatedly sought after Romano’s services.
Probably, Ray Romano’s most important appearance to date was on The Late Show with David Letterman. The shot was so strong, it led Letterman to offer Romano a development deal for 1996 with his production company, World Wide Pants, right on the spot.
So what exactly is it that Ray Romano does? Life made funny. That simple. Blending keen observational humor with a natural touch for finding the absurdities in daily living, Romano deals in the universals that are part of everyone’s lives, “What I live is what I write,” says Ray Romano of his act. “It’s always changing because my life is always changing. I’m a married man, with a five-year-old daughter, 2-year-old twin boys. I sleep very little, have sex even less. I thank God for stand-up. I can talk all about the joys of marriage, the beauty of parenthood, and, let’s be honest, it gets me out of the house.”
Ask any comic and they’ll tell you that the growth process is everything. But though anyone could tell you, few continue to grow with the flair or the dynamics of a Ray Romano. “His voice” on stage is that of a man who recognizes the importance of family and friends, universal truths and the anxieties of looking for understanding in a lot of places that don’t always yield sense. He’s taken to using his time jogging to write as he runs. Ray Romano doesn’t waste time mainly because, with the kids, he doesn’t have any, but then again he doesn’t waste words getting to his humor either.
“The most important thing to me is to keep growing on stage. I love performing, being on a stage and doing comedy. I love the idea of taking my act and transplanting it to a TV show. I think, creatively it will open up a wide range of possibilities to express my humor and point of view, And it will get me out of the house even longer.”
Whether it’s his kids, his wife, his parents, or any other aspect of his or everyone else’s life, somehow, if there’s a joke, a routine, or a story in it, Ray Romano’s proven he has the talent to find it.
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