Born in Colombia, Sofia Vergara worked as a model before relocating to the United States and becoming a highly regarded TV host of programs on Univision. She started acting in films in 2000 and became a household name years later for her Emmy-nominated role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the hit sitcom Modern Family. Additional projects have included the films Happy Feet Two, The Smurfs, Chef and Hot Pursuit.

Early Life & Career

Sofia Vergara was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, on July 10, 1972, to a large family. She learned English at a bilingual elementary school and eventually studied dentistry. Discovered on a beach by a photographer, Vergara got her start on screen via a Pepsi commercial for the Latin American markets, before working as a model and starring in a Mexican telenovela.

Vergara would go on to become a Univision television personality in the mid-1990s after relocating to the United States, hosting the travel show Fuera de Serie and then the variety show A Que No Te Atreves. She also caught the attention of English-language audiences with a short, captivating appearance during the 1995 American Comedy Awards.

By the end of the decade, the formidable Vergara had received the Hispanic Woman of the Year award. Yet tragedy had struck during this time as well, as Vergara's brother was killed by gunfire in her home country in 1996.

Movies & TV Shows

'Big Trouble,' 'Meet the Browns,' 'Madea Goes to Jail'

Vergara became known as a film actress following her debut in 2002's Big Trouble, alongside Tim Allen and Rene Russo. 2003's Chasing Papi came next, in which Vergara plays one of Thomas Fuentes' three girlfriends. By the end of the decade, she had starred in two films that were directed by Tyler Perry — Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009) — and made her debut on the Broadway stage by playing Mama Morton in Chicago.

'Modern Family'

Also in 2009, Vergara began her role as the sexy and assertive Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, wife of the older Jay (played by Ed O'Neill), on the sitcom Modern Family. The show was an instant hit commercially and critically and went on to win five Emmy Awards for outstanding comedy series. Vergara picked up four consecutive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the supporting actress category, and won a People's Choice Award in 2017 for favorite comedic actress, before Modern Family signed off in April 2020.

'The Smurfs,' 'Happy Feet Two,' 'Chef'

In 2011, Vergara co-starred in The Smurfs and voiced the role of Carmen in Happy Feet Two — a sequel to the original 2006 animated film. She was part of the ensemble cast of New Year's Eve to round out the year. Follow-up projects included the over-the-top action flick Machete Kills (2013) as well as art-house projects Fading Gigolo (2013) and Chef (2014), the latter directed by and co-starring Jon Favreau.

'Hot Pursuit,' 'The Emoji Movie'

After teaming up with Reese Witherspoon for the 2015 buddy comedy Hot Pursuit, Vergara appeared in another comedy, The Female Brain, and lent her voice to the animated The Emoji Movie in 2017. Switching gears, she co-starred in the crime thriller Bent in 2018 and the baseball drama Bottom of the 9th the following year.

In early 2020, it was announced that Vergara was joining the upcoming season of America's Got Talent as a judge, though the show's production was delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Personal Life

Health

In 2000, an endocrinologist discovered a lump in Vergara’s neck and she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Since then she has had surgery and radiation therapy and takes medication daily to control her metabolism. Vergara also created a foundation to help families in Colombia cope with cancer.

Husbands & Son

Vergara was married to her childhood sweetheart Joe Gonzalez and they have a son, Manolo, who was born in 1992. The couple divorced in 1993. In July 2012, Vergara became engaged to Nick Loeb, a New Yorker and film production company co-owner. However, the couple called it quits in May 2014.

Vergara found herself in the midst of a legal battle with Loeb in 2015. Loeb sued her over control of frozen embryos created by the pair when they were a couple. He claimed that she was going to destroy them, but she denied the accusation. In a statement to People magazine, her attorney said that Vergara was "content to leave the embryos frozen indefinitely."

Following the breakup, Vergara began dating True Blood and Magic Mike hunk Joe Manganiello that summer. In December 2014, Vergara and Manganiello announced their engagement. That same month, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she revealed that she had obtained American citizenship.

Vergara married Manganiello on November 22, 2015, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Business ventures

In 2011, it was announced that Vergara was designing a clothing line for Kmart targeting 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. The brand is named after her childhood nickname