The CBS classic television sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond features an impressive lineup of actors. Ray Romano was the frontman of the hit television series with Fred Stoller making frequent guest appearances on the show.
The series followed the lives of the eccentric yet loveable Barone family in their hilarious daily life living in close proximity to each other. Fred and Ray may have appeared in five episodes together but the two are not related in any way.
In the series, Ray’s annoying cousin Gerard (played by Fred Stoller) is hired to help Ray write a book. It becomes evident that Ray and Gerard share the same annoying traits, so Ray decides to work on Gerard while trying to make himself feel better.
Fred Stoller
Fred is an American comedian, actor, voice artist and comedian. He began working as a stand up comedian in the early 1980’s before landing his first television appearance on Stand Up America in 1987 and later on The Young Comedians Special.
As well as appearing on Everybody Loves Raymond he’s also written two episodes of Seinfeld and is the voice of Stanley in The Open Season franchise. His trademark is a low, monotone voice and he is known for his portrayal of goofy characters. Fred has appeared on practically every famous great sitcom, from Friends to Everybody Loves Raymond to Murphy Brown.
Ray Romano
Born the middle son of a middle class Italian-American family, Ray was obsessed with Saturday Night Live and as a teenager started organising comedy shows in the basement of his local church. Ray was a frequent stand up comedian performer in the New York City comedy club circuit before he landed a guest spot on The Lettermen Show in 1995. It was this appearance that would then open the door for his starring role on Everybody Loves Raymond. The sitcom was one of the most watched shows on American television and was nominated for an Emmy Award for it’s outstanding comedy.
Ray has had great success starting as a comedian before turning to acting and then finally establishing himself as a writer who now has a net worth of an estimated $200 million. During his time on the sitcom, he was pulling in a cool $1.8 million per episode, making him one of the highest paid actors on television.
In 2002 Ray transitioned from television to the big screen where he played the voice of Manfred in the animated feature film Ice Age. He followed this with four sequels in 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2016. In 2019 Netflix premiered Ray Romano: Right Here, Around the Corner which was his first stand up comedy special in 23 years.
In addition to his three Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards, a June 1999 recording of a Carnegie Hall performance was also nominated for an Emmy whilst his novel, Everything and a Kite, wound up on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s clear that Ray is a man of many talents.
Today Ray lives with his wife Anna Scarpulla and his four children, including a set of twins. “It’s all about family and kids. “And, since the twins arrived, parenting. My thing is all about real-life experiences”. He goes on to tell Parents Magazine “On TV, you don’t see Ray Barone’s kids that much. In real life, I’m a lot more involved with my children”.