PATRICIA HEATON
ACTOR/PRODUCER
Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life  

Heaton is best known for her role as Debra Barone on the award-winning series Everybody Loves Raymond.  Heaton won two Emmy^® Awards for her role in Raymond, and received six nominations. In addition to her Emmy^® wins, Heaton is also the recipient of the Best Comedy Actress award from the Viewers for Quality Television, a SAG award and three SAG nominations in the Best Actress category for her role on Raymond.   

Heaton will soon be starring in 20^th Century Fox's newest television comedy "Back to You" with Kelsey Grammer.  Heaton’s other television credits include prominent roles in the series Room for Two, Someone Like Me and Women of the House, and a recurring role on the critically-acclaimed series thirtysomething. She has also appeared in the CBS television film A Town Without Christmas and Miracle in the Woods.  

Heaton was awarded with a Lucille Lortel’s Best Actress nomination for her role as "Stella" in a new play, The Scene, where she appeared with Tony Shaloub (Monk). 

Heaton produced and starred in the TNT/FourBoys Films production The Engagement Ring.  She also starred in the TNT/Neil Simon production of The Goodbye Girl and ABC’s The Path to 9/11. Her feature film credits include Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Beethoven, New Age and Space Jam.  

In addition to her acting and producing credits, Heaton is also a bestselling author whose book "Motherhood and Hollywood -- How to Get A Job Like Mine"  was on the New York Times best-sellers list. 

In 2001, Heaton co-founded FourBoys Films, a production company which she runs with her husband David Hunt. FourBoys recent productions include The Engagement Ring for TNT and the documentary feature film The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Heaton and Mr. Hunt produced Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce, the man who changed the culture in Great Britain to reject slavery, and ultimately influenced the world. 

Heaton understands the demands of balancing work and family. She believes it is better to "make the system conform to what is best for you and your baby instead of making the baby go away to conform to what is best for the system."

During an interview in 2000 on the Oxygen television network show "Pure Oxygen," Heaton defended motherhood. A doctor appeared on the show immediately before Heaton, claiming that the "morning after" pill gave women "the opportunity - instead of having babies every year - they could actually do something with their lives." Heaton challenged the doctor’s negative view of motherhood, saying, "Having and raising children is doing something with your life! ...for any mom out there who was listening, I caught that. And I have to say that having your kids is one of the greatest things you can do and a very important job." The host of the show defended the doctor saying, "I am sure that she didn't mean anything by that statement," but Heaton wasn't convinced. "Even though we are a very baby-friendly environment, I still think that there’s a lot of feeling out there that [mothers have] second-class status in society."

Heaton has served as FFL’s Honorary Chair since 1998. She joined Feminists for Life because "I wanted to find a group that had compassionate, intelligent, reasonable people who are fun and life-affirming." In April 2005, Heaton urged U.S. Senators and Representatives to address the root causes that drive women to abortion - primarily lack of resources and support - at FFL-hosted Women Deserve Better^® events. "Women who experience an unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy," she said.