Rita Wilson
| Rita Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Rita Wilson, September 2008 |
|
| Born | Margarita Ibrahimoff October 26, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, producer |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse | Tom Hanks (m. 1988) |
| Children | 2 sons |
Rita Wilson (born October 26, 1956)[1] is an American actress, singer and producer.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimoff[1] (Bulgarian: Маргарита Ибрахимов, Greek: Μαργαρίτα Ιμπραΐμοβ) in Los Angeles, California.
Her father, a Bulgarian[2] who worked at a racetrack, was born in Greece. Before immigrating to the US, he had lived in Bulgaria and Turkey.[3]
Her mother, Dorothy, was born and raised in an ethnic Greek village (Sotire) in present-day Albania.[2][4] Wilson's family changed their surname from "Ibrahimoff" to "Wilson," which was a name of a local street in Southern California.
[edit] Career
Wilson's career began with a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch, in a 1972 episode entitled "Greg's Triangle," which was followed by appearances on several shows during the 1970s and 1980s (including Three's Company in 1982).
She has appeared in several movies, including Volunteers, Teen Witch, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Barbarians at the Gate, Mixed Nuts, Sleepless in Seattle, Now and Then, That Thing You Do!, Jingle All the Way, Runaway Bride, Invisible Child, The Story of Us, and Raise Your Voice. She played Susan Borman, wife of astronaut Frank Borman, in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. On television, she guest starred in many television series, including Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Good Wife and Body of Proof.
Wilson has performed on Broadway, where she performed the role of Roxie Hart from June–August 2006 in the revival of Chicago.
She is often credited with being the driving force behind Nia Vardalos' movie deal for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which became the highest-grossing independent film of all time, and for which she served as a producer.[5]
Wilson's debut solo album, AM/FM, will be released May 8, 2012, on Decca Records. The album will feature classics from the 60s and 70s.[6][7]
[edit] Personal life
She has been married to actor Tom Hanks since April 1988, with whom she has two sons, Chester, or "Chet"—who has a small part as a student in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and released a rap single in 2011—and Truman. She also has two stepchildren from Tom Hanks' previous marriage, one of them being Colin Hanks. She contributed to the Moffitt Cancer Center by donating "True Hearts" jewelry made of sterling silver and 14k gold. The proceeds will benefit several charities. Wilson credits good friend Rosie O'Donnell as inspiration for her charitable work, particularly with cancer and children's charities.[8] She is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.[9]
In the director's cut of the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do!, her brief appearance as a cocktail waitress named Marguerite has another scene, in which main character Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) drunkenly calls her Margarita, a reference to Wilson's real-life first name.
[edit] Filmography
| Actress | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Spinout | Bit Girl (uncredited) | |
| 1979 | The Day It Came to Earth | Debbie | |
| 1980 | Cheech & Chong's Next Movie | Actress | |
| 1980 | "Three's Company" | Agnes Platt | |
| 1985 | Volunteers | Beth Wexler | |
| 1989 | Teen Witch | Dancer | |
| 1990 | Sinners | Margaret | |
| The Bonfire of the Vanities | P.R. Woman | ||
| 1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Suzy | |
| 1994 | Mixed Nuts | Catherine O'Shaughnessy | |
| 1995 | Now and Then | Chrissy DeWitt Williams | |
| 1996 | No Dogs Allowed | ||
| That Thing You Do! | Marguerite | ||
| Jingle All the Way | Liz Langston | ||
| 1998 | Psycho | Caroline | |
| 1999 | Runaway Bride | Ellie Graham | |
| Invisible Child | Annie Beeman | ||
| The Story of Us | Rachel | ||
| 2001 | Perfume | Roberta | aka Dress to Kill |
| The Glass House | Grace Avery-Baker | (uncredited) | |
| 2002 | Auto Focus | Anne Crane | |
| 2004 | Raise Your Voice | Francis Fletcher | |
| 2005 | The Chumscrubber | Terri Bratley | |
| Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D | Beta Station Commander | (voice) | |
| 2006 | Beautiful Ohio | Judith Messerman | |
| 2009 | My Life in Ruins | Elinor | |
| Old Dogs | Jenna | ||
| It's Complicated | Trisha | ||
| 2011 | The Art of Getting By | Vivian Sargent | |
| Larry Crowne | Betty | ||
[edit] As a producer
| Producer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Producer | Producers Guild of America Visionary Award Nominated — Producers Guild of America Award for Motion Picture Producer of the Year |
| 2003 | My Big Fat Greek Life | Executive producer | TV series |
| 2004 | Connie and Carla | ||
| 2008 | Mamma Mia! | ||
| 2009 | My Life in Ruins | ||
[edit] References
- ^ a b Birth date confirmed at the State of California, California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Date of birth for Margarit Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California is October 26, 1956.[1]
- ^ a b Welkos, Robert (2002-10-06). "Sending up the Greek in spirit". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/05/1033538810677.html. Retrieved 2008-10-10. "… my father is Bulgarian."
- ^ "Rita Wilson". Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019302/bioof. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
- ^ "My Big, Fat, Greek Mystery" – Terry Mattingly on religion.
- ^ "TV Review - My Big Fat Greek Life". Entertainment Weekly. 2003-04-07. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,254097,00.html. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ Rita Wilson to Debut Solo Album, E! Online, ANTOINETTE BUENO, February 09, 2012
- ^ Rita Wilson to Debut Solo Album AM/FM. PR Newswire, 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
- ^ "Спектар : Живот и стил : Православни Холивуд : ПОЛИТИКА". Politika.rs. 2010-02-28. http://www.politika.rs/rubrike/spektar/zivot-i-stil/Pravoslavni-Holivud.sr.html. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
