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Roma Downey
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Date of birth: 6 May 1960,
Birth Place: Derry City, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK
Roma Downey was born in the early 1960's on the 6th of May in Derry City, County Derry, Northern Ireland to Patrick "Paddy" and Maureen Downey. She is the youngest of six children. Her father Paddy had four children, John, Patrick Jr., Ann, and Jacinta, when his first wife died. He married Roma's mother, Maureen, and they had two children, Lawrence (who is four years older then Roma) and Roma. She grew-up in a three-bedroom brick row house in a working-class area of Derry. She attended a Catholic convent school. Her father was a schoolteacher and her mother a homemaker.
One of Roma's deepest sorrows was, at the age of 10, losing her mother to a heart attack. She has said, "It was devastating. One day she was there and the next she was gone."
It also wasn't easy for her growing up in Northern Ireland's Catholic minority in the 1970's. Her family personally experienced the violence of the Troubles. Her family witnessed "Bloody Sunday", January 30, 1972, one of the bloodiest events in recent Irish history. There was an illegal civil-rights march and the British Army shot into the crowd and killed 13 people. She knew some of the men killed. Despite all of this, she has said that there was alot of love in her home and in the community.
With her father's encouragement, she attended Brighton Art College in England. She studied painting, but discovered that she really enjoyed drama. After graduating from Brighton, she met a theater director, Roy Grant, who convinced her that she should take her talent to the London Drama Achool. She was denied a grant to continue her education and Grant and two other teaches pooled their savings and offered to pay her tuition. They told her that it was 'an investment', not a loan, and that they believed in her. Her father gave his blessing as long as Roma worked hard and proved to these people that she was worth their confidence. Well, she certainly has done both!
In 1985, while she was attending the drama school, her father died (another great sorrow) and didn't get to see her graduate -- winning The Most Promising Student of the Year Award.
Shortly after the death of her father, Roma eloped with an American classmate, Leland Orser. They were married in Rome. They moved to New York City and the marriage fell apart. They divorced in 1989.
She was very sad and was thinking about returning to Ireland, when Rex Harrison cast her in his Broadway production of The Circle.
She didn't work again for two years and found herself working as a hat-check girl in a Manhattan restaurant while auditioning for commercials.
Her next break came in 1991 by landing the starring role in the TV mini-series A Woman Named Jackie. She thought that this would be her big break, but people ended up thinking of her "as the actress that played Jackie Kennedy". They didn't even remember her name!
She did a few movies, including a cable movie with Bryan Brown called Devlin in 1992, which is one of my personal favorites. I, also, enjoyed when she played the Queen of the Amazons in Hercules and the Amazon Women with Kevin Sorbo.
In 1994, she recieved the script for the pilot of Touched by an Angel. And although the show had a rocky start (it premiered to low ratings and disastrous reviews), it's now in the top of the ratings with a huge fan following.
Roma met producer David Anspaugh in 1994 on a blind date. They were married November 24, 1995 and they have a beautiful daughter, Reilly Marie, who was born on June 3rd, 1996. Sadly, the marriage ended in divorce in March of 1998. I have chosen not to include any of the details of this very painful experience for Roma, out of respect for her.
Recently Roma has said that 1998 was a tough year for her, but now she and David have come to a place of healing and they have their beautiful daughter Reilly.
She would like to marry again and have more children. She has said, "If there is anybody out there for me, he's got to love my kid."
And for all of you wondering about the rumors of her and John Dye (her co-star) dating.....well they are not true! She and John are really good friends.
She has been dating actor Michael Nouri. But I feel that this is an aspect of her life that should be as private as possible.
Roma lives with her daughter, Reilly, in a beautiful, rambling country-style home in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is where the Touched an an Angel series is filmed. She also has a house in Malibu, California, which she tries to visit as often as she can. Being raised in Ireland she has a great love for the ocean.
Sons of Mistletoe (2001) (TV) .... Helen Radke
Second Honeymoon (2000) (TV) .... Maggie
Secret Life, A (2000) (TV) .... Cassie Whitman
... aka Breach of Trust (2000) (TV) (UK)
Test of Love, A (1999) (TV) .... Cassie
Journey to a Hate Free Millennium (1999) (voice) .... Narrator
Monday After the Miracle (1998) (TV) .... Annie Sullivan
Borrowed Hearts (1997) (TV) .... Kathleen Russell
... aka Borrowed Hearts: A Holiday Romance (1997) (TV)
Child Is Missing, A (1995) (TV) .... Samantha Hallihan
Last Word, The (1995) .... Roxy
... aka Cosa Nostra: The Last Word (1995)
"Touched by an Angel" (1994) TV Series .... Monica
Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994) (TV) .... Hippolyta
Getting Up and Going Home (1992) (TV) .... Kimberly Stevens
... aka Unfaithful (1992) (TV) (UK)
Devlin (1992) (TV) .... Eileen
"Woman Named Jackie, A" (1991) (mini) TV Series .... Jacqueline
Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
"Disney Presents The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage" (1991)
TV Series .... Danielle
... aka "Black Jack Savage" (1991) (USA)
Roma Downey - Ultimate resources for pictures, wallpapers and biography
Downey, Roma - 55 W. 900 South, Salt Lake City
UT 84101
