Roma Downey Biography

Fast Facts

• Both her parents died from heart attacks before her mid-twenties
• Aspired to be a painter until she discovered acting in college
• Studied acting at the Drama Studio London
• A spokesperson for the charity Operation Smile, she traveled to numerous countries (including Vietnam and Honduras) to help children prepare for facial-deformity surgery
• Drawing from her experiences as a single mom, she wrote a children's book called Love Is a Family that was published in 2001
• Touched by an Angel costar Della Reese (an ordained minister) officiated at her 2007 wedding to TV reality mogul Mark Burnett