Doris Roberts attends the Museum of Television & Radio Annual Gala in Beverly Hills, California in this file photo.IF YOU GOWhat: Life: A Boomers & Seniors Expo.When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St.Admission: $5. Tickets available at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Trust Federal Credit Union locations or online at timesfreepress.com/lifeexpo.Note: Parking for this event is free at the Chattanooga Convention Center, as well as at the Siskin Children's Institute and SunTrust Bank nearby.
ABOUT THE EXPOLife: A Boomers & Seniors Expo will feature vendors offering new products, health screenings, financial planning, assisted living, real estate opportunities, shopping, home improvement ideas, travel, recreation and fitness and informative seminars.
The message that actress Doris Roberts will present to the gathered crowd at Saturday's Life: A Boomers & Seniors Expo at the Chattanooga Convention Center will be a fairly straightforward one, she said.
"Choose to be happy," she said. "In my research, I read that 50 percent of our happiness is tied to genetics. The rest is up to us, so I tell everyone to choose to be happy."
Roberts has starred on Broadway and film for almost six decades, but she is perhaps best known for her role as Marie Barone on "Everybody Loves Raymond."
She played the role opposite Ray Romano, Peter Boyle and Brad Garrett.
The show made her a household name and its popularity, she believes, was due to the fact that the scripts were based on real-life events and situations.
"I especially liked the one where I tell Frank [Boyle] that I'm not just some trophy wife. He says, 'You're a trophy wife? What contest in hell did I win?' "
She said while she didn't know Boyle before the show, the two clicked right away.
"We'd never met, but the minute we walked onstage the first time, it was like we'd been married for 45 years," Roberts said. "I loved him, and I miss him."
The role earned her four Emmy Awards. She won a fifth for her dramatic portrayal of a homeless woman who has both feet amputated on an episode of "St. Elsewhere."
"Raymond" ended its run in 2006, and Roberts has remained busy, guest-starring in shows such as "Hot in Cleveland" and "Desperate Housewives." She also appears in Tyler Perry's "Madea's Witness Protection."
She also travels the country giving speeches and making appearances. On Saturday, she will speak and then participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience. She should take the stage at 4 p.m.
Visitors also will find more than 100 booths offering samples, information, screenings and demonstrations on everything from health care to active living to money management.