Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (Spanish: [soˈfi.a βeɾˈɣaɾa]; born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and television personality who has received five nominations each at the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States.
Sofia Vergara | |
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 Vergara in 2023 | |
| Born | Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara July 10, 1972 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Sandra Vergara (cousin, adopted sister) Paulina Dávila (second cousin) |
| Website | www |
Vergara is known for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020) and Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries Griselda (2024). She rose to prominence when co-hosting two television shows for the Spanish-language television network Univision in the late 1990s. After acting in the English-language film Chasing Papi (2003), she subsequently appeared in Four Brothers (2005), and Tyler Perry's comedies Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009). Vergara also acted in New Year's Eve (2011), The Three Stooges (2012), Machete Kills (2013), Fading Gigolo (2013), Chef (2014), and Hot Pursuit (2015). She has also had voice-over roles in the animated films Happy Feet Two (2011), The Emoji Movie (2017), and Despicable Me 4 (2024).
Since 2020, Vergara has been a judge on the television talent show America's Got Talent. She is also known as a businesswoman and a brand ambassador. Vergara designs her own fashion line for Walmart, and signed with both Pepsi and CoverGirl in 2011. She launched her first fragrance "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" in 2014, and has since released four more fragrances.
Early life
Sofía Margarita Vergara was born on July 10, 1972, to a Catholic family in Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara de Vergara, was a homemaker, and her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, was a cattle rancher for the meat industry. She was nicknamed "Toti" by her five siblings and many cousins. Vergara has Spanish and Italian origins.
Vergara initially studied dentistry for three years at National University of Colombia, but she left two semesters away from completing her degree to pursue opportunities in modeling and show business. In 1998, her older brother Rafael was murdered in Colombia during an attempt to kidnap him. Not wanting to be caught in the unrest that resulted from the murder, Vergara emigrated to the United States, settling in Miami, Florida. Her cousin and adopted sister, Sandra, is also a television actress in the United States.
Career
1989 to 2008: Early Modeling career
Vergara was discovered by a photographer while walking on a beach in Santa Marta, Colombia, and she was quickly presented with offers of modeling and television work. She was "apprehensive about doing her first television commercial—until her Catholic schoolteachers gave her their personal permission to take the assignment." She made her first appearance, aged 17, in a Pepsi commercial aired in Latin America. She then began studies at the Creative Workshops School of Acting, where Gloria Estefan also trained.
In 1992, she won the Look of the Year contest in Colombia, and competed at International Finals in New York, And although she didn't win, this opened doors for her in the modeling world in New York, Miami, and London, and later she was hired by the largest Latin television network based in Miami - Univision, first as a model for various variety shows like Sabado Gigante, Lente Loco, Fuera de Serie, and El Blablazo, and then as a celebrity correspondent in Primer Impacto and El Gordo y La Flaca before launching her acting career.
2009 to 2019: Modern Family and rise to prominence
In 2009, Vergara appeared in Chicago on Broadway as Matron Mama Morton for six weeks.
That same year she got a starring role on the ABC sitcom Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series from 2010 to 2013. Vergara was the highest-earning woman in U.S. television, earning $19 million for the previous 12 months, according to a list released by Forbes.com on July 18, 2012. Vergara was named one of People magazine's "50 most beautiful people", and named by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard as one of the most influential Latin women in Hollywood. Vergara received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on May 7, 2015. In 2015, Forbes estimated Vergara's annual income at $28.5 million.
She was scheduled to star in The Paperboy, an independent drama directed by Lee Daniels. However shooting was delayed and the revised resumption conflicted with her shooting schedule for the third season of Modern Family and she dropped out. In July 2011, she finished filming the Farrelly Brothers' The Three Stooges, her first leading role in a major film. She said, "I play a mean woman that tries to manipulate the Three Stooges into killing her husband so that she gets all the money." In April 2012, she appeared in her son Manolo's YouTube web series Vida con Toty.
2020 to present: Later success
In February 2020, Vergara was announced as a new judge on America's Got Talent, beginning for its fifteenth season. She has since appeared on the program for six consecutive seasons. In two out of her six seasons as a judge, Vergara's "golden buzzer" selections have won the show (Mayyas in 2022 and Jessica Sanchez in 2025).
In 2024, Vergara earned a historic nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the Primetime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Griselda Blanco in the Netflix miniseries Griselda. This nomination made her the first Latina born in a Latin American country to be nominated in this category. Despite her acclaimed performance, Vergara did not win the Emmy, losing to Jodie Foster. She humorously acknowledged the loss, joking that she was "robbed" for the fifth time. Vergara's portrayal of Blanco was deeply personal, influenced by the 1996 murder of her older brother, Rafael, by a Colombian cartel. This tragedy profoundly impacted her family and motivated her to take on the role, despite the challenges it presented.
Business ventures
In 2011, it was announced that Vergara has designed a Kmart clothing line aimed at soccer moms. In 2011, Vergara was named the face of CoverGirl, with the first advertisements appearing in January 2012. In April 2011, she appeared in a Diet Pepsi commercial with David Beckham and another in January 2012. Also in 2011, she appeared in a number of commercials for Comcast's Xfinity brand and State Farm. In 2013, she signed endorsement contracts with Diet Pepsi, Rooms To Go, and the medicine Synthroid. Vergara launched a furniture line with Rooms To Go in 2013. She wanted to create well-made and affordable furniture, saying: "Everyone should be able to make their home look amazing and be proud of their home." In 2014, Vergara became a brand ambassador for the American anti-dandruff shampoo brand Head & Shoulders.
In March 2017, she reached a settlement with Venus Concept for alleged improper use of her likeness, which Vergara said created the false impression that she endorsed their beauty products. She launched her first fragrance "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" in 2014 and has since released four more fragrances. In June 2023, Vergara launched the beauty brand Toty, after her childhood nickname. In 2024, Vergara launched Dios Mio! Coffee, a brand devoted to elevating female Colombian growers.
| Year | Title | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "EBY by Sofia Vergara" | EBY (Empowered By You) | Clothing collection |
| 2011–2015 | "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" | Kmart | Clothing collection |
| 2013–present | "Sofia Vergara Furniture Collection" | Rooms To Go | Furniture line |
| 2018 | "Sofia by Sofia Vergara" (Latin America Exclusive) | Payless | Shoe and bag collection |
| 2019–present | "Sofía Jeans by Sofía Vergara" | Walmart | Clothing collection |
| 2020–present | "Sofia Vergara x Foster Grant" | Foster Grant | Eyewear collection |
| 2021 | "Sofia Intimates by Sofia Vergara" | Walmart | Intimate apparel line |
| 2022 | "Sofia Jewelry by Sofia Vergara" | Walmart | Jewelry line |
| 2022 | "Sofía Home by Sofía Vergara" | Walmart | Home decoration line |
| 2023 | "Toty" | Vergara's own beauty brand |
Personal life
Vergara has naturally blonde hair. For movies and television, she is sometimes asked to color her hair dark brown or black to make her look more stereotypically Hispanic.
Vergara was married at the age of 18 in 1990 to her high-school sweetheart, Joe Gonzalez. They have a son named Manolo, who was born in Colombia on September 16, 1991. They divorced in 1993. Vergara and her boyfriend Nick Loeb became engaged in 2012 after dating for two years. On May 23, 2014, Vergara announced that the engagement had been called off. Vergara and True Blood star Joe Manganiello became engaged on Christmas Eve 2014 after dating for six months. They married in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 21, 2015. On July 17, 2023, Vergara and Manganiello announced to Page Six that they have separated and are planning to divorce after seven years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in February 2024. In 2023, she began dating orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman.
Vergara was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000 at the age of 28. She had her thyroid removed, underwent radioiodine therapy, and made a full recovery. She takes medication to prevent hypothyroidism. On May 9, 2011, Vergara's younger brother Julio was deported from the United States to Colombia after being arrested in April that year; Julio also had a longtime drug addiction and previous brushes with the law. Vergara told Parade magazine, "To see somebody dying over 10 years, little by little, that's the worst punishment. Now he's like another person." During her December 2014 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Vergara revealed that she had become a United States citizen after getting a perfect score on her citizenship test.
From 2015 to 2017, Vergara was involved in a legal dispute regarding the future of two fertilized embryos produced by in vitro fertilization while she was still in a relationship with Loeb; the embryos were kept in storage in cryopreservation in a medical clinic in California. Following the couple's split in 2014, Loeb filed a lawsuit for custody of the embryos in a California court, but he later dropped that lawsuit when the court demanded that Loeb identify two women who had abortions after he had impregnated them. Loeb had written "Keeping them frozen forever is tantamount to killing them," in a 2015 op-ed in The New York Times. In December 2016, a right-to-life lawsuit against Vergara was initiated in Louisiana with Vergara's embryos as plaintiffs.
The embryos were named "Emma" and "Isabella" in the lawsuit, and their "trustee" was listed as James Charbonnet, a New Orleans resident of no relation to Vergara. The intent of the suit was to give the embryos a chance to further develop using a surrogate carrier, hence to be born, and to benefit from an inheritance trust that had been created for them and is administered by Charbonnet. The suit also tried to terminate parental rights of Vergara because by keeping them in cryopreservation in a medical clinic she allegedly abandoned and neglected the embryos. The legal case was novel and took advantage of Louisiana's embryo laws; the state passed a law in 1986 that declares embryos to be "juridical persons", giving embryos the right to sue or be sued. In August 2017, a Louisiana judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the court had no jurisdiction over the embryos, which were conceived in California.
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Collateral Damage | Airplane Hijacker | Deleted scene |
| Big Trouble | Nina | ||
| 2003 | Chasing Papi | Cici | |
| 2004 | The 24th Day | Isabella | |
| Soul Plane | Blanca | ||
| 2005 | Lords of Dogtown | Amelia | |
| Four Brothers | Sofi | ||
| 7 días | Pepe Cobo's fan | ||
| 2006 | Grilled | Loridonna | |
| National Lampoon's Pledge This! | Herself | ||
| 2008 | Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns | Cheryl | |
| 2009 | Madea Goes to Jail | T.T. | |
| 2011 | The Smurfs | Odile Anjelou | |
| New Year's Eve | Ava | ||
| Happy Feet Two | Carmen | Voice role | |
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Lydia Harter | |
| 2013 | Escape from Planet Earth | Gabby Babblebrook | Voice role |
| Fading Gigolo | Selima | ||
| Machete Kills | Madame Desdemona | ||
| 2014 | Chef | Inez | |
| 2015 | Wild Card | D.D. | |
| Hot Pursuit | Daniella Riva | Also executive producer | |
| 2017 | The Female Brain | Lisa | |
| The Emoji Movie | Flamenco Dancer | Voice role | |
| 2018 | Bent | Rebecca | |
| The Con Is On | Vivien | ||
| 2019 | Bottom of the 9th | Angela Ramirez | |
| 2021 | Koati | Zaina | Voice role; also executive producer |
| 2023 | Strays | Dolores The Couch | Voice role |
| 2024 | This Is Me... Now: A Love Story | Cancer | |
| Despicable Me 4 | Valentina | Voice role | |
| TBA | Thumb | TBA | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Muchachitas | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Festival de Viña del Mar | Herself (co-host) | Television special |
| 1995 | Festival de Viña del Mar | ||
| 1995–1996 | Acapulco, cuerpo y alma | Irasema | Telenovela |
| 1995–1998 | Fuera de serie | Herself (host) | Travel show |
| 1999 | Baywatch | Herself | Episode: "Boys will be Boys" |
| 1999–2000 | A que no te atreves | Herself (host) | Variety show |
| 2000–2001 | Club La Bomba | ||
| 2002 | My Wife and Kids | Selma | Episode: "Samba Story" |
| MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2002 | Herself (host) | Television special | |
| 2002–2003 | ¡Vivan los niños! | María Clara | Guest |
| 2004 | Eve | April Perez | Episode: "Party All the Time" |
| Rodney | Carmen | Episode: "Dream Lover" | |
| 2005 | Hot Properties | Lola Hernandez | Main role, 13 episodes |
| Punk'd | Herself | Season 5, episode 4 | |
| 2007 | Entourage | Village Girl | Episode: "Welcome to the Jungle" |
| The Knights of Prosperity | Esperanza Villalobos | Main role, 13 episodes | |
| Dirty Sexy Money | Sofía Montoya | 4 episodes | |
| 2007–2008 | Amas de Casa Desesperadas | Alicia Oviedo | Main role, 23 episodes |
| 2008 | Fuego en la sangre | Leonora Castañeda | 10 episodes |
| Men in Trees | Pilar Romero | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Guest appearance |
| 2009–2020 | Modern Family | Gloria Delgado-Pritchett | Main role, 250 episodes |
| 2011 | Sesame Street | Herself | Guest appearance |
| 2011–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Señora Chalupa / Herself (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Host | Episode: "Sofia Vergara/One Direction" |
| 2013–2017 | Family Guy | Hispanic Woman Flower Saleswoman Herself (voice) | Episodes: "The Giggity Wife" / "Emmy Winning Episode" |
| 2014 | Killer Women | N/a | Executive producer |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Carol Berrera (voice) | Episode: "Teenage Mutant Milk-Caused Hurdles" |
| 2020 | A Modern Farewell | Herself | Modern Family documentary |
| 2020–present | America's Got Talent | Herself (judge) | Season 15–present |
| 2023 | Germany's Next Topmodel | Herself (guest judge) | Episode: "Surprise!" |
| 2024 | Griselda | Griselda Blanco | Lead role, also executive producer |
| TBD | Koati: Animated Series | Zaina (voice) |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Artist | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Chicago | Matron "Mama" Morton (replacement) | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
Music video
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Que Diera" | Carlos Vives |
| 2013 | "Aura" | Lady Gaga |
| 2020 | "Yo Visto Así" | Bad Bunny |
Awards and nominations
| Organizations | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALMA Awards | 2009 | Actress in Film | Madea Goes to Jail | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy | Modern Family | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite Movie Actress – Supporting Role | The Three Stooges | Nominated | |||
| Black Reel Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Ensemble (shared with the cast) | Four Brothers | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2011 | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Nominated | |
| Glamour Awards | 2012 | Comedy Actress of the Year | N/a | Won | |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2010 | Best Supporting Actress – Television | Modern Family | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Nominated | ||||
| 2012 | Nominated | ||||
| 2013 | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Griselda | Nominated | ||
| Imagen Foundation Awards | 2010 | Best Actress – Television | Modern Family | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Nominated | ||||
| Kids' Choice Awards | 2012 | Favorite Movie Actress | The Smurfs | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Favorite Funny Star | Modern Family | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Favorite Family TV Actress | Won | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | 2011 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Modern Family | Won | |
| 2012 | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | Nominated | ||||
| 2015 | Nominated | ||||
| People's Choice Awards | 2013 | Favorite Comedic TV Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | Nominated | ||||
| Favorite Comedic Movie Actress | Hot Pursuit | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Favorite Comedic TV Actress | Modern Family | Won | ||
| 2018 | Favorite Comedy TV Star | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Favorite Female TV Star | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Comedy TV Star | Won | ||||
| Premios Juventud | 2016 | Actriz Que Se Roba La Pantalla | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2010 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Modern Family (episode: "Not in My House") | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Modern Family (episode: "Slow Down Your Neighbors) | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | Modern Family (episode: "Tableau Vivant") | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Modern Family (episode: "Yard Sale") | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie | Griselda | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Modern Family (season 1) | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Modern Family (season 2) | Won | |||
| Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||||
| 2011 | Modern Family (season 3) | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | ||||
| 2012 | Outstanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Modern Family (season 4) | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | ||||
| 2013 | Modern Family (season 5) | Won | |||
| 2014 | Modern Family (season 6) | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Modern Family (season 7) | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Modern Family (season 8) | Nominated |