Debra Barone is the wife of sports.
She lives with him and their three kids, daughter Ally and twin boys Michael and Geoffrey. To her dismay, Ray's parents Frank and Marie, live directly across the street.
She was raised in Connecticut. In the episode (Bad Moon Rising), it is revealed that Debra has Premenstrual syndrome which explains her irritable and over-emotional behavior. This is because no one on the show can write women (or people from Conneticut) well.
She was played by actress Patricia Heaton.
Childhood and Background
She was born August 26, 1958. Not much is known about her childhood other than that, and her being raised properly and growing up in an upper-class family, something that once prompts Marie to pressure her into admitting to the Barones that she thinks she is better than they are and how spoiled she is. Her parents are Warren and Lois, and she has a sister, Jennifer, who became a nun.
Debra was used to dating rich, good-looking guys before meeting Ray, whom she met while he was delivering a futon to her apartment. At the time, Debra was doing PR work for the NHL hockey team the New York Rangers.
Character Development
Debra's hairstyle and wardrobe constantly change as the show progressed.
Personality
A loving and devoted mother and wife. She loves her family dearly, and cares deeply about Ray despite his immaturity. She's very romantic and wants it with Ray, but he is not as romantic as her. She is the one member of Ray's family who loves him the most. More than his blood family.
Relationship to other major characters
- Wife to Ray
- Younger sister-in-law to Robert and older sister-in-law to Amy and Peter.
- Daughter-in-law to Frank and Marie
- Mother to Ally, Michael and Geoffrey
- Friends with Amy and Linda
- Sister to Jennifer
- Daughter to Warren and Lois
Episode Appearances
Debra appeared in all episodes except "Cruising with Marie." (See the complete list of episodes.)
Memorable Quotes
- DEBRA: (to Ray) Do you know how close you are to the end of your life?
- DEBRA: Don't you say another word, or I'll send your mother back in there to smack the crap out of you.
- DEBRA: Robert, you have every right to be upset, but I will get a stepladder and fight you to the death over this.
- DEBRA: When I got married, I didn't just get a husband; I got a whole freak show that set up their tent right across the street. And that would be fine—if they stayed there. But every day—every day—they dump a truckload of their insane family dreck into my lap. How would you like to sit through two people in their sixties, fighting over who invented the lawn? The lawn! And then the brother: "I live in an apartment. I don't even have a lawn; Raymond has a lawn." But you can't blame them when you see who the mother is. She has this kind of sick hold on the both of them. And the father's about as disgusting a creature as God has ever dropped on this planet. So no wonder the kid writes stories! I should be writing stories—my life is a Gothic novel—and until you have lived in that house, with all of them in there with you day after day, week after week, year after friggin' year, you are in no position to judge me!