Sofía Vergara

Actress Sofia Vergara went from being a star of Spanish-language television in the United States to one of the highest-paid performers thanks to her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the hit sitcom "Modern Family" (ABC, 2009-2020). Born in Barranquilla, Columbia, she began modeling as a teen and left college to pursue acting. She began getting work in commercials and had a small role on the telenovela "Acapulco, cuerpo y alma" (Canal de la Estrellas, 1995-96). She gained widespread exposure as one of the hosts of the travel show "Fuera de serie" (Telemundo, 1995-98) acting as a correspondent showcasing tourist destinations. She later hosted the variety show "A que no te atreves (You wouldn't dare)" (Univision, 1999-2000). She eventually immigrated to the United States to gain access to more opportunities. She crossed over to English language work with a role in Barry Sonnenfeld's Tim Allen crime comedy "Big Trouble" (2002). The actress had a significantly larger role in Linda Mendoza's romantic comedy "Chasing Papi" (2003) playing one of three women who all discover they're dating the same man. She would continue picking up supporting roles in films like "Soul Plane" (2004), "Lords of Dogtown" (2005), and "Four Brothers" (2005). She returned to television, starring with Gail O'Grady and Nicole Sullivan in the short-lived sitcom "Hot Properties" (ABC, 2005). She then starred with Ray Romano and Kevin James in the comedy "Grilled" (2006). Television continued to beckon, however, and she joined the cast of the Spanish-language version of the hit drama "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 2004-12), "Amas de casa desesperadas" (Univision, 2008). She also co-starred with Donal Logue in the comedy "The Knights of Prosperity" (ABC, 2007) and had a recurring role on "Dirty Sexy Money" (ABC, 2007-09). She switched back to Spanish-language fare for a role in the telenovela "Fuego en la sangre" (Canal de la Estrellas, 2008). Tyler Perry would cast the actress in two of his comedies, "Meet the Browns" (2008) and "Madea Goes to Jail" (2009). Vergara's transition from working sex symbol to superstardom happened when she joined the cast of "Modern Family." Playing the significantly younger wife of Ed O'Neill's family patriarch, her vivacious Gloria was an immediate hit with audiences. Over the show's run, the character became a mother for a second time as well as a U.S. citizen. As the show went on, she would become the highest-paid actress on television. Between seasons of "Modern Family," she frequently appeared in comedic film roles. She appeared with Neil Patrick Harris in "The Smurfs" (2011) and played the villain in the Farrelly Brothers' comedy "The Three Stooges" (2012). She joined John Turturro for "Fading Gigolo" (2013) and Jon Favreau for his "Chef" (2014). She also appeared in the action films in "Machete Kills" (2013), with Danny Trejo, and "Wild Card" (2015) with Jason Statham. Vergara took a star turn alongside Reese Witherspoon in the comedy "Hot Pursuit" (2015). She later starred with Karl Urban and Andy Garcia in the thriller "Bent" (2018) and had a supporting role opposite Tim Roth and Uma Thurman in "The Con is On" (2018). As "Modern Family" neared the end of its run, she starred with her husband, Joe Manganiello, in the drama "Bottom of the 9th" (2019).