Roma Downey (born on May 6, 1960 in Derry, Northern Ireland) is an actress and producer, best known for her role as Della Reese's employee, Monica, the main character of the TV series Touched by an Angel.

Biography

Raised in Derry City, Downey earned a BA at Brighton Art College, East Sussex, England. While attending the London Drama Studio she performed in classic plays of Shakespeare, Shaw, and Chekhov. She joined the Abbey Players in Dublin, and toured the United States in a production of The Playboy of the Western World, being nominated during the Broadway run for the Helen Hayes Best Actress Award in 1991.

As a result she gained the role of as Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in the 1991 U.S. TV movie A Woman Named Jackie and as the Amazon leader in Hercules and the Amazon Women. This lead to her role in Touched by an Angel from 1994 to 2003.

Personal Life

Twice divorced, she has a daughter, Reilly Marie Anspaugh (b. 1996). She married TV Producer Mark Burnett on April 28, 2007 in their Malibu home.<ref>http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20037196,00.html<ref> The wedding was officiated by her Touched By An Angel co-star Della Reese, an ordained minister.

Despite what many first assume, "Roma" is not a derivation from "Rosemary"; rather, "Roma" is her given name, a mixture of the names of her two grandmothers, Rose and Mary.

Filmography

Film

Television