Roma Downey life and biography

Roma Downey is an actress, singer, and producer, from Derry, Northern Ireland. She is best known as Tess's (played by Della Reese) angel/employee, Monica, the main character of the TV series Touched by an Angel. She is also the wife of television producer, Mark Burnett.

She joined the Abbey Players in Dublin, and toured the United States in a production of The Playboy of the Western World. The production led to a nomination during the Broadway run for the Helen Hayes Best Actress Award in 1991. Roma also starred on Broadway in "The Circle" with Sir Rex Harrison and also at the Roundabout theater and the Public Theater in NYC.

With her growing popularity, Downey gained the role of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in the 1991 U.S. TV 6 hour mini series A Woman Named Jackie which went on to win the Emmy award that year.

Eventually, this led to her most famous role, as the angel "Monica" on the CBS hit Touched by an Angel, which ran from 1994 to 2003, which starred opposite Della Reese. For her work on Touched by an Angel, Roma has been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globe awards. She was awarded the TV Guide award for favorite actress. Touched By an angel ran on CBS network for almost ten years and was a big hit playing to over 20 million people a week. For her work as the tender hearted angel Monica Miss Downey is a two time Emmy and Golden Globe nominee.

She has produced and starred in many TV movies including Borrowed Hearts and Second Honeymoon. She has recorded a spoken word album called "Healing Angel" and written a children's book called Love Is A Family. She hosted "It's a Miracle" on the Pax Network and most recently starred again on stage in "A Picasso" at the Geffen Theatre in LA. She has hosted SNL, was one of People magazine's most beautiful people and is a spokesperson for the volunteer group "Operation Smile". For her nine seasons on-air, she developed a chemistry with Reese. In the aftermath of the show, she and Reese remain friends.

She recently starred along side John Schneider in the movie "Come Dance at My Wedding".
On 18 April 2009, Downey and her husband Mark Burnett, delivered the keynote address and accepted an honorary doctorate of law at Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management commencement ceremony.

Roma graduated from The University of Santa Monica with a Masters in Spiritual Psychology.
On July 16, 2011 Roma appeared with actress Marion Ross in the made for TV movie Keeping up with the Randalls, on the Hallmark Channel.

In 2011, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett announced they are producing a 10-Hour Docudrama for the History Channel Network based on stories from the Bible scheduled to air sometime 2013. THE BIBLE series is being produced for the HISTORY CHANNEL by Lightworkers Media and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. Executive Producers are Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Richard Bedser.

Roma's is the executive producer of a new animated video series "Little Angels", currently in production with her company Lightworkers Media.

She is currently married to television producer/entrepreneur Mark Burnett. On Thanksgiving Day 2006, Burnett proposed to Downey during a family vacation in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. They wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home. Her Touched By An Angel co-star, Della Reese, officiated at the wedding.

Roma is a "Smile Ambassador" for the non-profit organization named Operation Smile which provides surgeries for children around the world who were born with severe cleft lips and palates.
In October 2011, Roma supported Sinn Féin politician Martin McGuinness in his bid for the Irish presidential election.

In 1999 Roma Downey signed with RCA Victor Records and recorded a CD called Healing Angel, released on September 14, 1999.

Read more