Detailed Biography

Rita Wilson is an American actress and producer.

Early life

Wilson was born Margarit Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California. Her father, a Pomak who worked at a racetrack, was born in Greece; he later converted to Orthodoxy. Before emigrating to the U.S., he had lived in Bulgaria and Turkey; her mother, Dorothy, was born and raised in an ethnic Greek village on the Albanian side of the border. Wilson's family changed their surname from "Ibrahimoff" to "Wilson," which was a name of a local street in Southern California.

Career

Wilson's career began with a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch, and was followed by appearances on several shows during the 1970s and 1980s.

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.

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.

Personal life

She has been married to Tom Hanks since April 1988, with whom she has had two children. 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. She is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

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 drunkenly calls her Margarita, a reference to Wilson's real-life first name.