What Is Patricia Heaton's Net Worth and Salary?
Patricia Heaton is an American actress and producer who has a net worth of $40 million. Patricia Heaton earned the majority of her fortune and fame thanks to her work playing Debra Barone on the monumentally successful sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." She appeared in 209 of the show's 210 episodes and ultimately became one of the highest-paid actors on TV at the time, with a $450,000 per-episode salary. That worked out to $9-10 million per season in the show's later seasons.
After the series ended in 2005, Patricia went on to star in several other projects, including the ABC sitcom "The Middle." Over the course of her career, she has won three Emmy Awards and been called one of the funniest women on television. In 2012, Heaton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Everybody Loves Raymond" Salary
Patricia Heaton enjoyed quite a lucrative salary as a cast member of "Everybody Loves Raymond," although her earnings fluctuated as the series progressed. During the first few seasons, Patricia earned $100,000 per episode – which equated to roughly $2.2 million per season. During the middle seasons of "Everybody Loves Raymond," her salary more than doubled to approximately $250,000 per episode. This equates to $5.5-$6 million per season.
By the time the show entered its final two seasons, Patricia was earning $450,000 per episode. This left her with a hefty sum of $9 million at the end of each of these two seasons. In contrast, Ray Romano was earning $1.8 million per episode by the end of the series, which is one of the highest per-episode salaries ever earned by an actor.
"Raymond" Salary Protest
Ahead of the final two seasons of "Everybody Loves Raymond," Ray Romano's salary per episode was raised to a then record-setting $1.8 million per episode. At that point, Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts were each earning $250,000 per episode, and Patricia Heaton was making $450,000. Brad Garrett, who was earning $160,000, was not pleased with the size of Romano's pay increase and launched a protest. At one point, the show wrote Garrett out of a number of episodes and filmed an entire episode without him.
In solidarity, Patricia Heaton began calling in "sick" to support her co-stars. Boyle and Roberts soon also called in "sick." Production was halted for several weeks.
In the end, a settlement was reached with Garrett, Boyle, and Roberts where they each got modest per-episode salary increases, but more importantly, they received shares of the show's back-end equity points so they could continue making money every time it was sold into syndication forever.
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)
Early Life
Patricia Helen Heaton was born on March 4, 1958, in Bay Village, Ohio. Her father was Chuck Heaton, a well-known sportswriter. Raised in a Catholic household alongside four siblings, Patricia watched her mother pass away from an aneurysm at the age of 12.
After graduating from high school, Heaton attended Ohio Wesleyan University. During her college years, she joined the Delta Gamma Sorority. Eventually, she graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in drama. In 1980, Patricia moved to New York City in order to study under famed acting teacher Bill Esper.
Career
Studying under Bill Esper allowed Heaton to transition easily into theatre work, starting with a Broadway appearance in "Don't Get God Started" in 1987. Heaton was 29 at the time. She later relocated to Los Angeles, and it was here that she truly began to make a name for herself. A casting director saw Patricia's potential and cast her in the ABC drama "Thirtysomething." She appeared in the show a total of six times from 1989 to 1991.
In 1992, Patricia followed up with a number of film roles, starting with "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and "Beethoven." In 1994, she took a role in the film "The New Age" before appearing in "Space Jam." During this period, she also made guest appearances in TV shows like "Alien Nation," "Matlock," "Party of Five," "The King of Queens," and "Danny Phantom."
Heaton's career continued to progress with TV sitcoms. Although she first gained recognition with short-lived series such as "Room for Two," "Someone Like Me," and "Women of the House," her real breakthrough came in 1996 with "Everybody Loves Raymond." Her performances in the series were well-received by critics, and she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for each of the last seven seasons. She succeeded in winning the Emmy Award twice, along with a number of other awards.
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After the end of "Everybody Loves Raymond," Patricia followed up with a role in the sitcom "Back to You," although it was canceled after one year. In 2007, she returned to stage work with an award-winning performance in an off-Broadway play called "The Scene." From 2009 to 2018, she played the role of Frankie Heck in the ABC comedy series "The Middle."
In 2015, Heaton wowed audiences once again after she began hosting "Patricia Heaton Parties." This new cooking show featured Patricia showing off various new recipes and home entertaining tips with a focus on hosting parties. Thanks to her involvement with the show, Heaton won a third Emmy Award in 2016 – this time in the category of Outstanding Culinary Program.
Outside of these projects, Heaton has appeared in a range of television films. These include "Shattered Dreams," "Miracle in the Woods," "A Town Without Christmas," "The Goodbye Girl," and "The Engagement Ring." In 2006, she played US Ambassador Barbara Bodine in the docudrama "The Path to 9/11." She is also known for playing the real-life figure Ellen Cohen in the Hallmark film "Front of the Class." Cohen raised a son with Tourette syndrome.
Outside of acting, Patricia Heaton produced the 2005 documentary "The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania." The next year, she co-produced the film "Amazing Grace."
Personal Life
Patricia has been married to English actor/director/producer David Hunt since 1990. David made periodic guest-appearances on "Everybody Loves Raymond" as Ray's nemesis neighbor. Patricia and David have four sons together.
Real Estate
In 2001, Patricia Heaton and her husband, David Hunt, paid $4.85 million for a mansion in the affluent LA neighborhood of Hancock Park. The residence features 8,400 square feet of living space and Italian-influenced architecture. They sold this property in 2013 for $8 million – although they had allegedly listed it years prior with an off-market price tag of $12 million. Today, this home is owned by television powerhouse television powerhouse Shonda Rhimes. Shonda performed a major renovation on this home and, in 2021, listed it for $25 million.
In 2013, Patricia and David paid $5.4 million for a 7,600-square-foot mansion in the LA suburb of Toluca Lake. Built in the 1990s from mostly stone materials, the residence features a detached guesthouse, marble floors, a state-of-the-art security system, and a pool. In September 2020, the couple sold their longtime home for $7.5 million.
In November 2021, Patrica paid a little under $5 million for a new home in Toluca Lake, California.
