Probably best known for her role as Monica in CBS’s almost decade-long-running series “Touched by an Angel,” Roma Downey has certainly found her place in the Hollywood limelight. Originally from Ireland, she studied at Brighton Art College in England as well as the London Drama Studio. Now, she not only acts, but produces as well.
By the early 90s, Downey had already added a number of theatrical productions to her résumé, including Loves Labors Lost and Arms and the Man, as well as The Circle for Broadway’s Ambassadors Theatre. Since then, she has performed in a national tour of Playboy of the Western World with Ireland’s Abbey Theatre and A Picasso at the Geffen Theatre in 2007.
Downey is better known for her television roles, with her performance in “Touched by an Angel” garnering her two Emmy® nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, all for Best Actress. In 1991, she starred in the Primetime Emmy® winner “A Woman Named Jackie,” and a year later, she appeared in the TV movies “Getting Up and Going Home” and “Devlin.” In less than a decade, Downey had starred in the TV movies “Hercules and the Amazon Women,” “A Child is Missing” opposite Henry Winkler, and “The Test of Love.”
Downey began working as a producer in the late 90s, on the same programs in which she was already acting. Along with a lead role in each, Downey was executive producer for “Borrowed Hearts” with Eric McCormack, “Monday After the Miracle,” “A Secret Life,” “Second Honeymoon” and “Sons of Mistletoe.” In 2004, she also produced “The Survivors Club” and “Funky Monkey.”
In addition to her acting schedule, Downey has, since 1995, been the International Spokesperson for Operation Smile, a volunteer organization whose mission is to help improve the lives of children born with facial deformities. Operation Smile has helped more than 120,000 children since its inception in 1982.
Downey and her family currently reside in Malibu, CA.
