Who is Robert Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond?

Show

Everybody Loves Raymond

Played by

Brad Garrett

First episode

“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 13, 1996

Role

Main cast

Network

CBS

Occupation

NYPD officer, later a lieutenant

Show run

1996 to 2005

Also known as

Robbie, Robert Charles Barone

Robert Barone is the tall, hangdog older brother who never got over the fact that everybody loves Raymond. Played by Brad Garrett, he turns sibling jealousy into some of the driest, saddest, and funniest lines on the show.

On Everybody Loves Raymond, Robert Barone's story runs through Ray Barone (Brother), Marie Barone (Mother), Frank Barone (Father), and Debra Barone (Sister-in-law).

Other CBS sitcom characters from around the same time include Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother) and Lily Aldrin (How I Met Your Mother).

Who is Robert Barone?

Robert is the first-born son of Frank and Marie and Ray's older brother. When the series begins he is divorced and living back in his parents' house across the street from Ray, working as an NYPD officer. Standing about six foot eight, he towers over the rest of the family, yet he is the one who seems smallest in his mother's eyes.

His whole worldview is shaped by the belief that Marie always favored Ray, and the show gives him plenty of evidence. In the pilot it is Robert who sarcastically delivers the line that gave the series its title. Over nine seasons he slowly moves from sad sack to husband, though he never quite stops keeping score.

Personality and comedy

Brad Garrett plays Robert with a deep, flat voice and a beaten-down slouch, which makes even a simple "hello" sound like a complaint. His humor is dark and passive-aggressive, and he loves needling Ray, yet he is also the family's moral conscience, the one who objects when everyone else is about to do something shady.

He has memorable quirks. He touches food to his chin before eating it, a nervous habit the family calls the Crazy Chin, and he is a surprisingly graceful dancer. Debra adores him, and the two share a gentle friendship that stands out in a house full of shouting.

Key storylines

Robert's love life is a long-running saga. He meets Debra's friend Amy MacDougall in season one, and their on-again, off-again relationship survives breakups, his ex-wife Joanne, and Stefania, the Italian woman he falls for on the family trip to Italy. A flashback episode shows how his first marriage ended: Joanne belittles him for years, asks for a divorce the moment he finally stands up to her, and Marie throws her out of the house.

On the job, Robert is gored by a bull while breaking up an illegal rodeo, has to move back in with his parents to recover, and briefly loses his nerve as a cop. He proposes to Amy in season seven, and "Robert's Wedding" closes that season with the couple finally married after Marie objects at the altar. Later he is promoted to lieutenant and the newlyweds buy Frank and Marie's house.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Robert was Brad Garrett's first major role after years as a stand-up comedian, including a 1984 Star Search championship. He earned five Emmy nominations for the part and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three times, in 2002, 2003, and 2005.

In real life Garrett is about three years younger than Romano, though Robert is written as four years older than Ray. The character's mix of resentment and tenderness made him a fan favorite, and his sarcastic "Everybody loves Raymond" is the line the whole show is named after.

Robert Barone: frequently asked questions

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