By the time Doris Roberts appeared on Everybody Loves Raymond, she was already a bona fide acting legend. Sure, it took Raymond to make her a household name, but even before the show ever aired, we're willing to wager you recognized Roberts from something. 

Maybe you saw her in movies, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Barefoot in the Park, The Heartbreak Kid, or The Honeymoon Killers. Or, perhaps it was on TV where you first saw her. After all, her list of television credits included appearances on the likes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, Rhoda, Barney Miller, Fantasy Island, Alice, The Love Boat, and Full House, just to name a few.

Wherever it was you first saw her, it was immediately clear that Doris Roberts was an undeniable talent, bringing a particular gravitas to every project she was involved in. But long before she was onscreen as various grandmotherly types, Roberts was a killer on stage. In fact, according to what might be her final ever interview, conducted by Smashing Interviews, Roberts was getting reactions onstage from a very early age.

"When I was in kindergarten," she recalled, "I had a line in a little play, and the line was, 'I am Patrick Potato, and this is my cousin, Mrs. Tomato.' I heard laughter, and that’s when the acting bug bit me."

It's no surprise that was the origin story for an actress who would steal every scene on Everybody Loves Raymond. However, it was a long way from kindergarten to primetime CBS, and Roberts had a helping hand from a famous face along the way.

While she was still making her name onstage in Broadway productions like The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Bad Habits, Roberts caught the attention of another star of stage and screen who will surely be familiar to any fan of classic TV. 

After seeing me in the play, Bad Habits, Lily Tomlin brought me to California because she wanted me to do her television show. We won all the Emmys that year. That’s what brought me to California, and I’ve been working ever since. That’s why I’m here.