Even though Ray Romano is most known for his part as a mammoth in the “Ice Age” series and for other dramatic roles such as the one he played in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” his first job was not quite as exciting.
When Romano was a youngster, he earned some spending money by washing trailer trucks. On “The Ellen Show,” the actor stated that since the trucks were so large and parked so closely together, the cleaning lads had to squeeze close together in order to wash the trucks with long brushes. He said this was because the vehicles were placed so closely together.
In a separate interview, the actor disclosed to Ellen DeGeneres that he remained a dependent of his parents until the age of 29, during which time he resided with them in their single-bathroom house in Queens. When he married Anna Scarpulla, he finally made the decision to leave the house where he had spent his boyhood.
They shared the beginning of their love story on an episode of “Double Date with Marlo Thomas & Phil Donahue.” At the time, they were both working as bank tellers. Scarpulla had begun working at that position when he was 18, whereas Romano did not begin working there until he was 25. They were both in their early 20s.
The actor often joked that he wasn’t “the stud guy” at work since he commuted to his job on his bicycle and because he was still living with his mother. Scarpulla said that the other female bank tellers had been anxious to meet the “new guy” at work; however, Romano arrived at work on his bike and was always 10 to 15 minutes late. Scarpulla noted that Romano was always late. As a result, nothing occurred until the actor gave notice of his resignation two years later.
After that, he made an attempt to go out on dates with many of the other tellers in addition to asking her out. Unluckily, the other people replied with a “no.” The presenter of the program questioned Romano’s decision to continue living at home and pondered whether or not this was a cultural norm in Italy.
Scarpulla argued in favor of Romano by saying that the majority of people in their area did not leave their homes until they were married. Romano continued by saying that the majority of his acquaintances did the same thing, although many of them married at a younger age, giving the impression that they were more self-reliant than he was.
The actor also said that at that time in his life, he was “nowhere” in his profession and for the better part of his twenties, he had no clue what he wanted to accomplish with the rest of his life. Following his withdrawal from college, he found himself in a state of “nowhere land.” When he began performing stand-up comedy, fortunately, that’s when he met Scarpulla.
Romano said to the show’s host that the woman “took a gamble” when she started a relationship with a guy who did not have a stable profession and still rode a bike to work. Romano was referring to the woman’s decision to date a man in this situation. “And now, she has her very own movie theater.”
When the presenter of the show questioned Scarpulla why she took that bet, she responded by saying that things evolved from a “friendship into a relationship.” She praised Romano for being “funny, kind, and sweet.”
The pair approached the beginning of their relationship with a laid-back attitude and no preconceived notions, and as a result, everything developed organically. Romano used a quotation from Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” to explain the nature of their relationship:
“She’s got gaps, and I’ve got gaps, and together we fill gaps.”
After the actor had driven Scarpulla to her mother’s house and the two of them “made out” in the vehicle on the way, they went on to have their first kiss. When they were done, Scarpulla saw Romano glancing out the windshield rather than at her because he was unable to look at her. It was her statement that:
“It was such a strange situation. The events that followed were uncomfortable.
Scarpulla continued by saying that it was irrelevant to her regardless of what he did for a living. While he was standing, she might have spent her whole life working as a teller at a bank. She lacked ambition and never once entertained the idea of marrying someone with more money. The actor went on to say:
“This is something that I have always said: ‘She would be happy if I was a plumber if a plumber made the same amount of money that I did.'”
Romano had just begun his career as a stand-up comedian and had been working with a buddy who ran a futon mattress company for the last several years. He had a two-year long relationship with Scarpulla before the two of them were married in 1987. Romano remembered an incident in which he became envious and concluded that they needed to get married.
After they moved in together, Romano described their first night in their new home as “traumatic.” He went on to explain that the day in question was a “crucial day” because of the decisions that had to be made, such as which side of the bed to sleep on. He went on to Explain:
“You consider it to be unimportant. But you’ll have to live with that choice. And I messed it up. I didn’t give the TV viewpoint any consideration. You know, in order for me to enjoy the rest of my life without a huge toe in the center of the screen for the rest of my life, you have to make the proper decision.
Thankfully, they were little things that didn’t matter much in the end as their relationship became stronger despite the fact that they caused some tension at the time. They went from having nothing to having a lot of children and being together through it all, which is more than the majority of people can even fathom.
Romano achieved enormous success in Hollywood, but he never lost his modesty. The explanation for this is a verse from the Bible that his brother Richard had given to him: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (For what shall it profit a man, if he shall get the whole world, and lose his own soul).
The comedian stated that his brother wished him well in Hollywood and that he hoped that fame and money wouldn’t consume him or cause him to lose his bearings. As a result, Romano has not become ignorant of his roots or of who he is as a person.
Since Roman’s rise to fame, he has let Scarpulla, who has remained at home with their four children—Alexandra, twins Gregory and Matthew, and Joseph—to take care of the childrearing responsibilities. She was the one “holding the fort,” and the two of them had a great deal of faith in one another.
While Romano was a famous actor in Hollywood, Scarpulla was a housewife raising their children. Although the actor was had to relocate to Los Angeles in order to shoot “Everyone Loves Raymond,” his wife remained in their home in Queens at this time.
They had just three children at the time, and they had no clue whether or not his program was going to be successful. As a result, they were willing to give up whatever that was necessary in order to make it work.
Even when Romano was bragging about his accomplishments, Scarpulla was the most understanding and genuine person around. Anna made fun of him by saying that he was going out to celebrate the debut of the comedy while she was taking care of their children. At the time, he and his buddy Kevin James were planning to celebrate the premiere in Las Vegas.
And when the comic boasted about having a national comedy where he starred as the main character, she smiled and added, “You’re still the [expletive] I married,” and they joked about it.
Fans of Ray Romano’s comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond” are aware that the majority of the show’s episodes were inspired by the real-life events that the actor and Scarpulla had when they were bringing up their family. In actuality, he did all in his power to be there for his family while still making significant headway in his professional life.
During the last years of the program, he relocated his family to Los Angeles, and the success of the comedy allowed them to continue to have a beautiful life together despite the show’s conclusion. The children of Romano grew up on set, and both of his twins have now found employment in the profession.
The most important thing is that he and Scarpulla were always on the same page, and he was there for his wife when she got one of the most terrifying pieces of information that anybody could get. A lump was found on Scarpulla’s breast by her gynecologist, who then performed various tests, the results of which led to a diagnosis that would forever alter her life.
Scarpulla contacted her husband in tears, and he thought his father had passed away since he was extremely ill at the time, but his wife informed him about what they discovered. Scarpulla’s husband believed his father had passed away because he was very unwell at the time. After that, they had a biopsy performed on the lump, but they were had to wait the whole weekend for the findings.
After throwing a party to celebrate the Super Bowl at their home the previous night, they found out together on Monday morning. The pair had to put on a pleasant front in front of their visitors, but they spent the whole time worrying, even though they tried to reassure themselves that it was not cancer. They made an effort to keep their composure until they learned the exact findings.
When the call did eventually come, they were in the restroom at the time. They were both overcome with emotion after learning that it was an aggressive form of breast cancer. Romano didn’t want to keep her waiting for the treatments, so he made a few phone calls to his boss while he was hiding in a closet. He canceled a few appointments. There at that point, the actor burst into tears.
They were both in shock for a period of time after hearing the news. After explaining that her husband was a hypochondriac, Scarpulla couldn’t help but chuckle at the comedy of the situation when they eventually accepted the news, saying:
“You’re the one who always suspects that he has cancer,” she said. I never comply, but I’m the one who has to deal with the consequences.
On the other hand, Scarpulla stated that she was relieved that it was not her spouse but rather her. She said to Marlo Thomas, “I guess I’m stronger in that sense.” “I’m stronger in that sense,”
Things took a turn for the worst when Romanos’ father passed away suddenly on the day that Scarpulla was scheduled to have surgery. While the actor and his family were on their way to the hospital, the actor’s mother contacted them and informed them that it was possible that today would be the actor’s father’s final day alive. When Romano’s mother phoned again with the unfortunate news, Scarpulla was in the process of being prepared for surgery at the time.
Romano did not tell his wife the news, but it seemed as if she already knew. He and his wife both recognized that his father was probably there for Scarpulla, observing, which ensured that everything with her operation went well. This is what the actor divulged:
“I learned how strong she is, and I learned, you know, I’m not the most demonstrative man, but when something like this happens, and you face the fact that you may lose someone like this, it sheds light on how much you love this person,” he said. “I’m not the most demonstrative man in the world.” […] And I really should mention that. Thankfully, the fact that she is aware of my affection for her contributes to the success of our marriage.
During that trying moment, the actor was required to stand up and demonstrate his strength for the sake of his wife and his family as a whole. He was really good at it, and the whole of their encounter had an effect on Thomas.
During this time, Scarpulla shared that one of her primary concerns was that she would lose her hair throughout the course of her four rounds of chemotherapy. In addition, when she had finished taking care of her four children, she disliked having to concentrate too much on herself. She went on to Explain:
“Even though I shoulder everyone else’s burdens, this one had to be all about me.” I’m not like that!”
To their good fortune, everything worked out well for them. Romano was there during Scarpulla’s complete recovery, which he saw firsthand. Despite this, they made the decision to “give back” and share their story since they had “dodged a bullet.”
Romano has never denied the fact that he and his family are fortunate to live a decent life. Because of his accomplishments, he is free to pursue whatever path he chooses. On the other hand, he said that he is “no different than everybody else.”
Romano said that the Casio F91W watch he wears cost him just twelve dollars, and it has served him reliably for more than three decades. Scarpulla believes that it is the worst item he has ever purchased, but Romano is not of the same opinion.
The rest of his family helps to keep him humble, and they continue to provide him with much of the material for his jokes and stand-up routines. When questioned whether they were ever troubled by it, the comic said that his children liked being in his acts and that it didn’t affect them in the least.
However, Scarpulla has expressed her dissatisfaction with it, and the actor has said that whenever this occurs, he advises Scarpulla “to go cry in a bag of money.”
Conan O’Brien was also informed by Romano that marriage was “all about scoring points.” He related the experience of transporting his wife to the colonoscopy appointment she had scheduled.
The actor thought to himself as he walked by a candle and perfume shop that he was going to get some points since the doctor ordered him to return in two hours because the process takes a long. After his wife had her exam, he wanted to do something to cheer her up, so he decided to give her a little present.
Romano would also randomly purchase her flowers to maintain “scoring points,” but he tells her that she doesn’t need to do anything since she is always in the lead in terms of “points.” As a result, his life doesn’t vary all that much from that of married individuals who are just attempting to make each other happy to the greatest extent feasible.
However, the actor subsequently revealed to Ellen DeGeneres that they sometimes get into disputes about nothing in particular. He added that he was in the restroom when his wife walked in “mid-argument,” talking about something that occurred the night before, and it is something that every couple has faced with at some point in their relationship. They have been putting up with it for well over three decades now.
While this is going on, all of Romano and Scarpulla’s children have now reached maturity. However, much like Romano and his wife did, Romano’s children continued to reside with them far into their adulthood.
The actor used to be under the impression that his children would never leave their father’s fantastic properties since they lived in their father’s very own private movie theater and other luxuries provided by their father. But Scarpulla surprised them by buying them an apartment in Studio City and ordering them to relocate there.
Romano said that his wife was relieved that they had left the house for a week. On the other hand, she gradually began to complain that they were either not phoning or not coming over. However, the actor was quick to remind her:
“While they were here, they never once engaged in conversation with you.”
Joseph, the couple’s youngest kid, stayed with them for a little while longer, but at this point all of their children had left the house. Despite this, they continue to have a strong bond. During the epidemic, Gregory and Matthew, his identical twin sons, made an appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” with their father. Gregory and Matthew are carbon replicas of their father.
Romano said in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in 2019 that the family also travels on vacations, specifically remembering a period when his family went to Sicily.
They had been there before during the filming of an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond” that took place in Italy. Romano and his wife made the decision to go on a vacation to Sicily, more especially to the quaint village where her parents had spent the previous four decades before relocating to the United States.
Nevertheless, they went back with their whole family, which totaled 13 people, and hired a small boat for the occasion. On the boat, Romano made an attempt to have sexual relations with his wife. Because it being August, everyone could be found on the lower deck, which was equipped with air conditioning. Despite this, he and Scarpulla stayed on the upper deck the whole time.
The actor then turned to his wife and told her that they could have some “frisky” fun and “no one would know.” He informed her that it was going to be “exciting,” and Scarpulla’s response was, “For who?” They have a great deal in common and are able to laugh together.
When Thomas inquired as to what the glue was that held them all together, Romano responded with those words. He went on to explain that he is the kind of guy that thrives off of attention because he is a performer at heart, but Scarpulla is not like that at all.
She has no need for any of it, does not feel threatened by it, and does not experience feelings of neglect when the focus is not on her. He conceded that there are moments when he does not pay her the appropriate amount of attention; nevertheless, Scarpulla insisted that all she required from him was for him to look for the family, which he had always done.
She has frequently shown this point over the course of many years by placing a high priority on her family, focusing the most of her posts on social media on her loved ones, and creating films on TikTok that highlight the strong bond they have.
During this time, the actor would create a calendar for his wife every year for Christmas. The calendar is filled with photographs of their family with humorous remarks.
The year 2023 saw Scarpulla’s 60th birthday, and she is still going strong and healthy to this day. The 24th of February, 1963 was the day she was born. Romano was very fortunate to encounter the woman who would become his ideal partner.
