The Greater Cleveland Film Commission was honored to present Between the Screens: A Conversation with Patricia Heaton on Monday, June 22nd.
A Conversation with Patricia Heaton was moderated by local radio host and former actor Jeremiah Widmer (The Jeremiah Show, Q104 FM). Jeremiah interviewd Ms. Heaton and facilitated an audience Q&A. He covered a wide variety of topics ranging from her experiences in the entertainment business to how growing up in Northeast Ohio impacted her career.
This event is now over, but you can watch it below!
Actress Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton is an Emmy-winning actress who has played not one, but two beloved TV moms. She most recently starred in the highly praised CBS comedy, Carol’s Second Act, starring as Carol, a mom who after raising her two children and retiring from teaching, embarks on a unique second act: pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor.
Next for Heaton is a new book for Simon & Schuster, Your Second Act. When Heaton’s children left the nest, she discovered she had the time to pursue passions that were previously placed on hold, both personally and professionally. In the book, she shares wisdom from her own personal journey as well as insight from stories of numerous people across the country.
Heaton is also author of New York Times best-selling autobiography Motherhood and Hollywood- How to Get a Job Like Mine. In it, she recounts her idyllic childhood in Cleveland, Ohio, her struggles to start a career in New York City, and her eventual success in Los Angeles.
Ms. Heaton recently starred in ABC’s critically acclaimed comedy, The Middle, as Frankie Heck, a mom trying to find balance between her family and career in the mid-west. The show ran from 2009 to 2018. She is, perhaps, best known for her role as Debra Barone on the classic series Everybody Loves Raymond. She won two Emmy® Awards for the role and was nominated 7 times.
In 2001, Heaton co-founded FourBoys Films, a production company which she runs with her husband David Hunt. The company produced the Sony feature comedy, Moms’ Night Out, TNT’s production of The Engagement Ring, and Walden Media’s Amazing Grace. They are currently in production on an independent film that is being shot in Oklahoma.
A committed philanthropist, Heaton is the founding member of World Vision’s Celebrity Ambassador Network. She has travelled to Rwanda, Zambia and Syria with the humanitarian organization which focuses on conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries.
Heaton is a mother to four sons and lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
Moderator Jeremiah Widmer, Q104FM
Jeremiah is the host of The Jeremiah Show, weekday mornings on Cleveland’s Q104. Jeremiah earned his bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Communications from the University of Akron, and was a member of WZIP, the #1 student run college radio station in the country. Earlier in his career Jeremiah worked in Los Angeles on a variety of television shows like The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. While in L.A. he was featured on USA Networks Character Fantasy: I Wanna Be A Professional Dodgeball Player, and he and his wife Jessy were contestants (and won) the Newlywed Game. He also studied and performed sketch and improvisational comedy at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre. Jeremiah returned to northeast Ohio in 2013 as Afternoon Drive host at Cleveland’s Star 102, until the creation of the Jeremiah Show in 2016. He lives in Wadsworth with his wife Jessy, sons Eli and Isaiah, and daughter Carly.