Doris Roberts, Meddling Mom in ‘Everyone Loves Raymond,’ Dies at 90

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Doris Roberts, who won four Emmy Awards as the meddling mother Marie Barone on the popular sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” has died.
Roberts, who was of Russian Jewish descent, died overnight Monday in her sleep, her spokeswoman told The Associated Press. The cause of death was not immediately known. She was 90.
Roberts “will be remembered for lighting up every room she walked into with an unparalleled combination of energy, humor, warmth and even a little bit of grit,” CBS, which broadcast “Raymond” from 1996 to 2005, said in a statement.
She won the Emmys and for best supporting actress and was nominated seven times portraying Marie, matriarch of a dysfunctional Italian family. Roberts won another Emmy for a guest appearance on “St. Elsewhere” playing a homeless woman.
In 2003, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Roberts had a recurring role on the television detective drama “Remington Steele” and also appeared in several Broadway shows beginning in the 1950s.
A St. Louis native who grew up in New York, Roberts was raised by her mother, Ann Meltzer, with the help of her family, after Meltzer was deserted by her husband. Roberts took the last name of her stepfather, Chester Roberts.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
