Roma Downey

Downey in 1998

Downey's role as Jacqueline Kennedy led to her most famous role, as the angel Monica, on the CBS series Touched by an Angel, opposite singer-actress, Della Reese, and handsome John Dye which ran from 1994 to 2003.

She received one nomination and one win at the TV Guide awards for favorite actress and also received two Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. Downey has said the character Monica interested her because it was a strong female role, which were "few and far between" and for its spiritual aspects:

It was pilot season of ‘94 and I was reading through endless junk scripts that were being sent my way. Typically the roles were to play his wife or his girlfriend — leading roles for women were few and far between. Suddenly a very unusual script turned up. "Now this is curious," I remember thinking. Because I'm a person of faith, the spiritual aspects got my attention. Also, the actress in me was delighted to read a show that had not one but two strong female roles - female angels. I was to audition for Monica and I very much liked Della Reese, who of course ended up playing Tess.[10]

Downey has also spoken of her deep and lasting love for and friendship with Della Reese.[11] The two remained close until Reese's death on 19 November 2017.[12] She commented that Reese was "such an influence on my life. She was my mother. I was a girl without a mother and for certain God brought her into my life. She was one of the lasting gifts of Touched by an Angel."[13]

On 24 May 2011, Downey and husband Mark Burnett announced they were producing a 10-hour docudrama for the History channel, The Bible, based on stories from the Bible scheduled to air in 2013.[14] They began planning it in 2009 and lined up their own financing.[15] The full production cost was $22 million USD.[16] Downey and Burnett wanted to stay as true to the content in the Bible as possible so they put together a wide variety of pastors and academics to review the script and filming. For example, they worked with Pastors Joel Osteen and Rick Warren and academics such as Craig A. Evans and Mark Goodacre.[17]

The Bible has been watched by over 100 million viewers in the United States alone [18][19] The series has been the number one downloaded series in iTunes and ranked on Amazon's best sellers in movies and television.[19] A theatrical release was released on 28 February 2014 in the United States, under the title Son of God.[20] The Bible was nominated for the 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. Downey played the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus.[19] The Bible was filmed in 2012 in Morocco.[21][22]

In July 2013, it was announced that Downey and Burnett would produce A.D., the sequel to The Bible.[23] In December 2013, NBC ordered A.D.. The series covered the spread of Christianity after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.[24]

Downey also produced and starred in television movies including Borrowed Hearts and Second Honeymoon.[8] During the run of Touched by an Angel, she recorded the spoken-word album Healing Angel.[25] and wrote the children's book Love Is A Family.[26] She also coauthored a book with her husband "A Story of God and All of Us". She hosted It's a Miracle (TV series), on the Pax Network and appeared on stage in A Picasso at the Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles. She portrayed Annie Sullivan in the TV movie Monday After the Miracle (1998).[27] She has hosted Saturday Night Live,[28] was one of People Magazine's most beautiful people. She is a spokesperson for the volunteer group "Operation Smile".[29] In 2009, she starred in the movie Come Dance at My Wedding alongside John Schneider. On 16 July 2011, she appeared with actress Marion Ross in the made-for-TV movie Keeping up with the Randalls, broadcast on the Hallmark Channel.[30] Downey is the executive producer of the animated video series, Little Angels, which was released on DVD with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on 14 February 2012.[31]

In December 2013, CBS announced a new miniseries with Downey and her husband, Mark Burnett, The Dovekeepers based on the New York Times Bestseller by Alice Hoffman. The miniseries aired in 2015.[32] In September 2014, MGM acquired a 55% interest in One Three Media and Lightworkers Media. The two companies consolidated into a new film and television company, United Artists Media Group. Burnett became UA's CEO and Downey became president of LightWorkers Media.[33][34]

In December 2015, MGM acquired the remaining 45% of Hearst’s, Burnett’s and Downey‘s interests in United Artists Media Group (UAMG), which was absorbed under the MGM Television Group umbrella. Downey remains President of LightWorkers Media, which became the Faith & Family division of MGM.

Downey executive produced a re-telling of Ben-Hur,[35] starring Jack Huston, which was released in August 2016.[36]

Downey’s newest book, Box of Butterflies, is set for release in March 2018.