While studying acting in New York with drama teacher William Esper, Heaton made her Broadway debut in the gospel musical "Don't Get God Started". She and her fellow students then formed Stage Three, an acting company that produced plays Off-Broadway. They took one production, "The Johnstown Vindicator", to Los Angeles, where Heaton's performance caught the eyes of casting directors. Consequently, Heaton portrayed the producer/daughter in the television series Room for Two. Her additional television credits include a starring role in the series Someone Like Me, a regular role in CBS's Women of the House, and a recurring role on thirtysomething. She also starred in the highly rated CBS television movie Miracle in the Woods, with Della Reese. Her feature film credits include Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Beethoven, The New Age and Space Jam.

For her role in Everybody Loves Raymond, Heaton won an Emmy for Leading Actress in a Comedy Series. She was nominated for a l999 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and won the l998-99 Viewers for Quality Television Best Actress in a Quality Comedy Award.

Heaton was born in Cleveland and lives with her husband, David Hunt, and their four sons in Los Angeles.
Everybody Loves Raymond (1996): $6,000,000/year(2001)
Went to St. Raphael's Catholic grade School, Bay Village, Ohio. Daughter of Chuck Heaton, sportswriter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Her brother, Michael Heaton, who writes for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is getting involved in show business as a writer. She has four sons with her husband David Hunt: Sam Hunt (b. 1994), John Basil Hunt (b. 1996), Joseph Charles 'Joe' Hunt (b. 1997) and Daniel Patrick 'Dan' Hunt (b. January 20th, 1999). Graduate of Bay High School class of 1976. While at Bay High School she sang in the choir, performed in the Stage Band, and was a member of the Rockettes Drill Team with the Bay Rockets' Marching Band. Told Entertainment Tonight she was considering adopting a child. She already has four sons (none adopted). All four of her sons appear with her in the latest Jewel commercial when she's at home going over details of a party and her sons are all watching TV and checking off items she lists. [November 2001] Graduated from Ohio State University in 1980 with a BA in Theater. Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life - a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization established 30 years ago which opposes domestic violence, child abuse, infanticide, and abortion - the cause to which she was most passionately drawn. She is a sister of the Delta Gamma sorority. Irish-American. Spokeswoman for supermarkets owned by Alberstons, Inc., including Albertsons (West Coast, Rocky Mountain, Great Plains and Gulf Coast States), Acme Markets (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), and Jewel-Osco (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin). Auditioned for the role as Elaine on Seinfeld. All of her children were born by Caesarian section. The damage to her body was repaired with plastic surgery. According to Ray Romano, Patricia won the role of Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond because she was the only actress willing to kiss him at the auditions. It actually came down to a draw between her and Jane Sibbett - CBS liked Sibbett, but Romano preferred Patricia, who was much closer to how he pictured Debra, and the producers backed him up. On the old Everybody Loves Raymond television site, Heaton listed Gary Oldman as her favorite actor. In a 2006 TV Guide/Bravo poll, she was named the TV personality who would make the best real-life housewife with 72% of the vote, far surpassing runner-up Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives. Tony Shalhoub was the best man at Patty's wedding to David Hunt. Tony knew David before Patty came into the picture. Edited the news film at NBC station Channel 5 in Cleveland, when she was in college during the summers in the 1970s.