With her zest for life and a passion for her craft, Doris Roberts certainly made the most of her time on this Earth.

The actor enjoyed a lengthy acting career, with one of her best-known roles coming later in life. Roberts became known as the meddling mother Marie Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond.

During the television special Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion, writers and cast members of the former sitcom reunited to reminisce about their time on the series. Series creator Phil Rosenthal explained that when auditioning actors for Marie, performers were required to read from a scene that would eventually air in the pilot. In the scene, a thoughtful gesture from Ray goes sideways after his parents become upset that he’s signed them up for a “Fruit of the Month” subscription.

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“We saw 100 ladies for the part; they all read with that fruit of the month scene,” said Rosenthal. “No one came close to Doris Roberts. She was what was in my head and in my life, and so beyond even.”

The character of Marie was originally based on Rosenthal’s own mother. The series creator explained that Roberts was able to portray the character in a realistic manner that still remained entertaining.

“My real mother would say, ‘You know, it is a little exaggerated,’” said Rosenthal. “But you never saw that with Doris because she was always spot on. She was always 100 per cent believable. Peter too. We could be the best writers in the world. It wouldn’t matter if we didn’t have these people and Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts.

Though Roberts and Boyle have both since passed away, the cast and crew of the series never forgot their impact. “They became our parents in more ways than one,” said Rosenthal.