"I'm gonna do this for as long as it's fun... and as long as the audience wants it! But you don't wanna overstay your welcome ... you wanna leave them wanting more!" ~ Ray Romano
Television star Raymond Romano (1957-) was born on this day in Queens, New York. Originally planning on become an accountant, he got the showbiz bug in 1984 as a standup comedian. In 1991, he then made a memorable appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
"People think living in your parents' basement until you're twenty-nine is lame. But what they don't realize is that while you're there, you save money on rent, food, and dates," he said with typical dry humor.
Following an appearance on David Letterman's show, CBS and Letterman's Worldwide Pants production company jointly signed Romano to a contract to develop his own TV show. The critically-acclaimed sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond was born.
"The show...(was) based on every character in my life," Romano said. "I'm not political, I'm not topical, I just talk about my own life ... but everybody relates to it."
The real-life father of four, the comic admitted that most men are "clueless" about relationships, but that's OK. "Accept your cluelessness. Don't fight it. Just try to be likeably clueless. Ask for her help and appreciate it. That's endearing to women."
Have fun while you do it.