Patricia Heaton Has a Surprising Connection to PEOPLE — and It Ties to the 1980s and Xerox Machines (Exclusive)
Patricia Heaton Has a Surprising Connection to PEOPLE — and It Ties to the 1980s and Xerox Machines (Exclusive)
Nicholas Rice, Travis CroninSat, November 14, 2026 at 6:30 PM UTC
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Patricia Heaton, a PEOPLE logo.Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty; John Shearer/Getty -
Patricia Heaton revealed in an exclusive interview that she has a unique connection to PEOPLE
“I used to run the Xerox machine there in the ‘80s,” the actress said
Heaton is most famously known for her roles in Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle
Patricia Heaton is a PEOPLE person through and through!
In the 1980s, before she made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, the actress, 68, worked for PEOPLE.
“I used to run the Xerox machine there in the ‘80s,” Heaton told PEOPLE exclusively while attending the Jewish Media Awards in New York City on Nov. 5. “They probably don’t have Xerox machines anymore.”
Describing the job as a “survival gig,” the Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle alum joked, “You could have a plaque with my name on it. You could put it up.”
Patricia Heaton at the Jewish Media Awards in New York City in November 2026.Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty
Heaton’s first acting gig came in 1989, through her role in an episode of Alien Nation. She then appeared in various movies and television series — including Thirtysomething, Beethoven and Women of the House, before her breakout role in Everybody Loves Raymond.
She starred in the CBS sitcom, which ran from 1996 to 2005, as Debra Barone, the wife of Ray Romano’s Ray Barone. The role earned Heaton two Emmy Awards, as well as an accolade at the Actor Awards — formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGs).
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Heaton’s next major role came when she played Frances “Frankie” Heck, a Midwestern mother, in The Middle. The show ran from 2009 to 2018 on ABC and saw the actress star opposite Neil Flynn.
Next up, Heaton — who shares four sons with her husband, David Hunt — executive produces and stars in Public Interest, a legal drama that has shot its pilot episode.
Patricia Heaton in ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ Patricia Heaton in ‘The Middle.’Credit: CBS via Getty; Bob D'Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
Looking back at her career and her most iconic roles, Heaton told PEOPLE during the Jewish Media Awards — hosted by the Jewish Institute for Television & Cinema (JITC) Hollywood Bureau, an initiative of the nonprofit Jew in the City — that she will revisit some of her old projects, but her memory of them tends to be a bit fuzzy.
“I laugh, but I don’t remember shooting half the things I shot on The Middle or Everybody Loves Raymond,” she admitted.
“I just watched a scene from The Middle, and I turned to my husband Dave, and I said, ‘I don’t remember shooting that,’ “ continued Heaton.
Added the actress: “But it was really funny, so I just laugh [like] it’s all sorta brand new to me.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
