Get to know Patricia Heaton

When Patricia Heaton was trying to break through in acting, she wasn’t sure it would work out, and she questioned if that was what God wanted for her life. Patricia grew up just outside of Cleveland. From a young age, her Catholic faith was an important part of her life. After high school she attended The Ohio State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in drama. She pursued her dream of acting by moving to New York City where she continued studying drama. She and fellow students created an acting troupe, which eventually took her to Los Angeles, where she struggled to get her career to take off. During that season, she traveled to Mexico to visit an orphanage with a church group, and when she returned, she felt great peace about her acting and said to God,

I’m willing to let go of that if you want me to go back to Mexico or go into the mission field. But make it very clear that’s the direction you want me to go in.
—Patricia Heaton

And He did make it clear. Once she felt at peace that her identity didn’t rest solely in whether she made it as an actor, her career began to take off.

She landed a role and went on to build a name for herself, portraying Debra Barone on the hit CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005 and then as Frances “Frankie” Heck on the ABC sitcom The Middle from 2009 to 2018. She has delighted viewers and even been recognized with seven Primetime Emmy^® Award nominations, including two Emmy^® wins for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also won a Daytime Emmy^® Award for Outstanding Culinary Program for her work as host of Patricia Heaton Parties. She returned to CBS in 2019 to star in and executive produce Carol’s Second Act, a show about a woman who decides to become a doctor after raising her two children and retiring from teaching.

In 2017, she and her The Middle co-star, Beau Wirick, traveled to Jordan to support World Vision’s humanitarian response and meet with Syrian refugees. Her heart for refugees continued to grow, and a year later in August 2018, she traveled with another The Middle co-star, Jen Ray, to meet South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda.

In February 2019, her globetrotting continued to Rwanda with Entertainment Tonight and NBC’s The Voice finalist Wé McDonald in light of the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Patricia and Wé have also worked to raise awareness about the global water crisis. Later that year, Patricia was chosen by 5-year-old Meme in Guatemala to be his child sponsor through World Vision’s new sponsorship experience, Chosen.

Give to the World Vision Fund and get the “Wrapped in Hope” dip-dyed scarf by Patricia Heaton. This vibrant coral, white, and gray 100% silk scarf is handmade by artisans in Viet Nam who earn fair-trade wages for preserving their traditional silk-production methods.

Patricia Heaton-designed, artisan-made gifts

In addition to her travels and advocacy work on behalf of World Vision, Patricia has also been a spokesperson for the World Vision Gift Catalog, which encourages people to give lasting gifts that will help people around the world living in poverty. She has helped design several handcrafted gift products, which donors receive when they give a gift of a certain amount to the World Vision Fund. She helped design the Hope Bracelet in 2017, the Grace Collection in 2018, the Opportunity Collection in 2019, the Unity Tassel Necklace in 2020, and this year, in 2021, she has helped design the “Wrapped in Hope” dip-dyed scarf. All of these products are handcrafted in conjunction with World Vision’s partner, Gifts With a Cause, by local artisans who are paid fair wages and work in safe conditions. She has also made appearances at World Vision’s Give-back Gift Shop in New York City to raise awareness about Giving Tuesday, child sponsorship, and the Gift Catalog.

Because of all her work with World Vision, Patricia was honored by the Creative Coalition’s fourth annual Television Advocacy Awards in September 2018. The awards honor members of the entertainment industry who use their platforms to make an impact in their communities and the world for the greater good.