Roma Downey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Roma Downey | |
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| Born | May 6, 1960 Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Burnett (2007-Present) David Anspaugh (1995-1998) Leland Orser (1987-1989) , Daniel Grant (unknown) |
Roma Downey (born May 6, 1960 in Derry, Northern Ireland) is an actress and producer, best known as Monica, the main character of the TV series Touched by an Angel.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early Life
Raised in Derry, Downey earned a BA at Brighton Art College, East Sussex, England. While attending the London Drama Studio she performed in classic plays of Shakespeare, Shaw, and Chekhov.
[edit] Career
She joined the Abbey Players in Dublin, and toured the United States in a production of The Playboy of the Western World. The production led to a nomination during the Broadway run for the Helen Hayes Best Actress Award in 1991.
With her growing popularity, Downey gained the role of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in the 1991 U.S. TV movie A Woman Named Jackie and as the Amazon leader in Hercules and the Amazon Women. Eventually, this led to her most famous role, as the Angel Monica in the dramatic series Touched by an Angel, which ran from 1994 to 2003.
A message from Roma Downey on the Touched by an Angel website [Touched.com] states, "Soon I hope to announce a new tv show that Della Reese and myself are putting together and we hope to have on the air next year..."[1].
[edit] Personal Life
Downey has been married four times. Her first marriage was to Daniel Grant, a teacher from Derry. She then married fellow actor Leland Orser, whom she eloped with in 1987 in Rome, Italy. They divorced in 1989. In 1995, she married American director, David Anspaugh. Downey's Touched by an Angel co-star, Della Reese, officiated the wedding. During her marriage to Anspaugh, she gave birth to her daughter, Reilly Marie Anspaugh (b. 1996). Della Reese was given the honor of godmother. In 1998, she and Anspaugh ended their three-year marriage.
She is currently married to television producer/entrepreneur Mark Burnett. Burnett and Downey who had been long-time neighbors, began dating in January 2004, after Burnett's divorce to his first wife was finalized. On Thanksgiving Day 2006, Burnett proposed to Downey during a family vacation in Zihuatanejo Mexico. [2] They wed on April 28, 2007 in their Malibu home.[3] The wedding was once again officiated by her Touched By An Angel co-star Della Reese, an ordained minister. Ironically, Burnett served with the British Army in Downey's native Northern Ireland during The Troubles.
Despite what many first assume, "Roma" is not a derivation from "Rosemary"; rather, "Roma" is her given name, a mixture of the names of her two grandmothers, Rose and Mary.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Funky Monkey | Megan | |
| 1995 | The Last Word | Roxy |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Division | Reagan Gilancy | Episode: The Kids Are Alright Episode: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Episode: Acts of Desperation |
| The Survivors Club | Jillian Hayes | ||
| 1994-2003 | Touched by an Angel | Monica | Emmy Awards (nominated-2Xs) Golden Globe Awards (nominated-2Xs) TV Guide Award (won-1X) (nominated-1X) |
| 2001 | Sons of Mistletoe | Helen Radke | |
| Second Honeymoon | Maggie | ||
| 1999 | The Test of Love | Cassie Whitman | |
| A Secret Life | Cassie Whitman | ||
| 1996-1998 | Promised Land | Monica | Episode: Homecoming Episode: Vengeance Is Mine: Part 2 |
| 1998 | Monday After the Miracle | Annie Sullivan | |
| Saturday Night Live | Host (herself) | Episode: Roma Downey/Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott | |
| 1997 | Borrowed Hearts | Kathleen Russell | Gemini Awards (nominated-1X) |
| 1995 | A Child is Missing | Samantha Hallihan | |
| The Last Word | Roxy | ||
| 1994 | Hercules and the Amazon Women | Hippolyta | |
| Diagnosis Murder | Heather Winslow | Episode: Reunion with Murder | |
| 1992 | Devlin | Eileen | |
| Getting Up and Going Home | Kimberly Stevens | ||
| 1991 | A Woman Named Jackie | Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis | |
| The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage | Danielle St. Clair | ||
| 1988 | One Life to Live | Lady Johanna Leighton |
