Sitcom icon Patricia Heaton hides her Emmys in a surprising place she likens to Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs.
“I like to keep my career separate from my home,” the actress, 66, explains in her 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me feature in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “So my Emmy awards are in a little Zoom room behind the laundry room, which is behind the kitchen. It’s my version of Harry Potter under the stairs.”
Heaton was nominated for seven Emmy awards for her performance as Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond across nine seasons from 1996 to 2004. She took home the trophy twice, in 2000 and 2001. Her second Emmy was an especially poignant moment for her.
“The actress I [admired] growing up was Mary Tyler Moore, and the proudest moment of my career was when she presented me with my second Emmy,” Heaton shared with Us.
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For more fun stories from Heaton — whose new film, The Unbreakable Boy, is in theaters now — keep scrolling:
1. My favorite memory from being a Delta Gamma is making terrific friends. I’m still in touch with them to this day.
2. The TV show I’m binge-watching right now is the British series Joan, starring Sophie Turner.
3. When Everybody Loves Raymond wrapped, I took home a ceramic bird from Frank and Marie’s house. I love birds — and I couldn’t get the big fork and spoon [from the “Baggage” episode in season 7] in my car.
4. Filming the car scenes with the whole family for The Middle was always fun because I used to play old songs on my phone to educate our younger actors on how my generation grew up.
5. I like to keep my career separate from my home, so my Emmy awards are in a little Zoom room behind the laundry room, which is behind the kitchen. It’s my version of Harry Potter under the stairs.
6. One thing I learned from hosting Patricia Heaton Parties is to relax. People are just so happy that you’ve invited them over and that they don’t have to cook that they will love anything you do.
7. I have so many dream projects, but I’d like to work with Annette Benning. I’m a fan of everything she does.
8. I love my Nashville home. It’s peaceful, welcoming and has enough room for my most valuable possession: my family.
9. I’ve started dabbling in songwriting and it’s working out quite well so far.
10. My favorite book is The Information by Martin Amis.
11. My alternate profession would be a concierge.
12. My celebrity crush growing up was Shirley Temple.
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13. Any song by the Jackson 5 brings back the best memories.
14. Thai or Indian food is my go-to for takeout.
15. My first childhood job was babysitting, my first survival job was working at an empanada shop in Midtown Manhattan and my first acting job was an Anacin commercial.
16. The three items I can’t leave the house without are my phone, lip balm and some kind of platform shoes.
17. I collect ceramics and paintings of female faces and figures.
18. The actress I [admired] growing up was Mary Tyler Moore, and the proudest moment of my career was when she presented me with my second Emmy [in 2001].
19. The childhood memories that make me smile are building forts, drawing, acting out books, putting on plays and singing on the swings with my friends.
20. My most embarrassing moment during filming was when I wet my pants while pregnant on Everybody Loves Raymond.
21. One thing l took away from playing Dr. Carol Kenney in Carol’s Second Act is to learn to pivot — it also inspired my book, Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Transformation, a collection of personal accounts of people who learned how to adapt when life threw them a curveball.
22. My favorite comfort meals are a good Sunday roast, a beef stew or a hearty lasagna.
23. A mock old-fashioned — club soda with a splash of bitters and a slice of orange — is my favorite drink.
24. My favorite look of all time was the Monique Lhuillier black lace dress I wore to CBS’ 75th anniversary party [in 2003]. Sadly, it was a loaner.
25. My favorite places to vacation are Montana, Hawaii or London.
