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Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (born September 24, 1962) is a Canadian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for starring in and writing the romantic comedy film ''
My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos, who also stars in the film as Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with White Anglo-Saxo ...
'' (2002), which garnered her nominations for the
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with th ...
, and the
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical is a Golden Globe Award that was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. Previously, there was a single award for ...
.


Early life

Vardalos was born in
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, on September 24, 1962. She is the daughter of Greek Canadian parents Doreen Christakos, a bookkeeper and homemaker, and Constantine "Gus" Vardalos, a land developer who was born in
Kalavryta Kalavryta ( el, Καλάβρυτα) is a town and a municipality in the mountainous east-central part of the regional unit of Achaea, Greece. The town is located on the right bank of the river Vouraikos, south of Aigio, southeast of Patras and ...
,
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. She attended St. George School and
Shaftesbury High School Shaftesbury High School is a public high school located in the Tuxedo neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It has a population of 750 students from Tuxedo, Charleswood, and Linden Woods. They are included in the Pembina Trails School Division's ...
in Winnipeg and Ryerson University in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
.


Career

An alumna of the
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
-based Second City comedy repertory company, Vardalos wrote and performed in over ten revues of sketch comedy and won Chicago's Joseph Jefferson award for Best Actress. Vardalos had many small roles in television shows such as ''
The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995 to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalize ...
'' and ''
Two Guys and a Girl ''Two Guys and a Girl'' (titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'' for the first two seasons) is an American television sitcom created by Rick Wiener, Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson. The series started as a short-run (13 episodes) mid-se ...
;'' in addition, she provided voices for the 1996 radio adaptation of ''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' which
Brian Daley Brian Charles Daley (December 22, 1947 – February 11, 1996) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the ''Star Wars'' radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes. Biography Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey a ...
had written for
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
. She gained fame with her movie about a woman's struggle to find love in ''
My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos, who also stars in the film as Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a middle class Greek American woman who falls in love with White Anglo-Saxo ...
.'' The film was a critical and commercial success. The film earned Vardalos an Academy Award Nomination for Best Writing, a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and a Screen Actors Guild Award Nomination. The
sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little prom ...
quickly became one of the highest-grossing independent films of all time, and the number one romantic comedy of all time. Vardalos hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in the fall of 2002. The next film she starred in, which she also wrote, and in which she also sang and danced, was '' Connie and Carla,'' released in 2004; this became a cult-hit musical, and is about two women pretending to be drag queens. (The plot has been compared to that of ''
Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...
,'' the 1959 American romantic comedy film which Billy Wilder directed, produced, and co-wrote, which had starred
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
, Tony Curtis, and
Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadi ...
, in that as with the two male leads of ''Some Like It Hot,'' the female leads of ''Connie And Carla'' did what they did to hide from criminals whose crimes they had witnessed and who could still kill both of them had they been found.) Vardalos made her directorial debut in 2009 with the independent feature ''
I Hate Valentine's Day ''I Hate Valentine's Day'' is a 2009 romantic comedy film written and directed by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos and John Corbett, previously seen together in Vardalos' hit 2002 film ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding.'' The film was released on Jul ...
.'' The film, about a florist finding romance, was made for less than $400,000 and on only a limited release grossed $1,985,260 at the international box-office. This was followed by '' My Life in Ruins,'' about a misguided tour-guide traveling around Greece and featuring Academy Award winner
Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of the ...
. The film was the first American production given permission to film at the
Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
; Vardalos personally sought the approval from the Greek government and credits her years of Greek School for helping her be fluent in the language. In 2011, Vardalos collaborated with
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
to write the romantic comedy film ''
Larry Crowne ''Larry Crowne'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Hanks, who co-wrote its screenplay with Nia Vardalos. The story was inspired by Hanks' time studying at Chabot ...
'' for the screen. The film was a commercial success, grossing $59.8 million; Vardalos also voiced the character Map Genie in the film. In 2016, Vardalos adapted Cheryl Strayed's beloved book, '' Tiny Beautiful Things,'' and starred in the sold out run of the play at The Public Theater in New York, directed by Thomas Kail. The play received outstanding reviews and is the New York Times Critic's Pick. Vardalos reprised her role in 2017 in another sold-out run at The Public, and again at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Published by Samuel French, the play was quickly licensed by many theaters and is on the list of Top Ten Most Produced Plays. Vardalos joined many celebrities helping to produce
The 1 Second Film ''The 1 Second Film'' is an American non-profit collaborative art project. The 1 Second Film began as a student project by Nirvan Mullick in 2001. Receiving contributions from thousands of people around the world, including many celebrities. The p ...
art project; she herself was featured in ''The Dialogue,'' an interview series. In this 90 minute interview with producer Mike DeLuca, Vardalos talked about how her experiences in
The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...
comedy troupe helped her as an actress and a screenwriter, and how the unofficial "tell-the-Greek" word-of-mouth program had a hand in catapulting her movie to such great heights. She sang
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
song " Golden Slumbers" on the 2006 charity album ''
Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars ''Unexpected Dreams – Songs from the Stars'' is a 2006 compilation album featuring various actors singing lullabies and other songs. Album information The album features fourteen various lullabies and songs about dreams, all sung by celebritie ...
.'' Vardalos starred in and wrote ''
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2'' is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Kirk Jones and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine (in his final film role), Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez ...
,'' which was released in March 2016. It earned over $60 million domestically from an $18 million budget and much more internationally and in home box office sales. From 2015 to 2017, Vardalos and Gomez co-presented the first two seasons of ''
The Great American Baking Show ''The Great American Baking Show'' is an American cooking competition television series and an adaptation of ''The Great British Bake Off'' (which is aired in the United States under the title ''The Great British Baking Show''). Its first season a ...
,'' formerly known as ''The Great Holiday Baking Show,'' for ABC-TV. In 2018, Vardalos guest-starred in an episode of
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
series ''
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW and ran for four seasons, ending on April 5, 2019. The series was created, written, and directed by Rachel Blo ...
.'' In 2019, Vardalos played Faye Anderson in the ABC television holiday film ''Same Time, Next Christmas.'' In 2020, in what was, for her, a rare turn to both serious, non-comedy acting and impostures of real people, she impersonated convicted poisoner Stacey Castor in the made-for-television movie ''Poisoned Love: The Stacey Castor Story,'' which
Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
transmitted. In September 2022, Vardalos, along with comedian
Rob Riggle Robert A. Riggle Jr. (born April 21, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and former United States Marine Officer. He is known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2008; as a cast member on ''Sa ...
, created, wrote, and starred in the 10 episode comedy podcast ''Motivated!'' for Audible Original and
Broadway Video Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series ''Saturday Night Live'' and producer of other television programs and movies. Broadway Video also held the rights to ...
. She is scheduled to reprise her role as Toula Portakalos in ''
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 The ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' franchise, consists of American romantic comedies, including two theatrical films, and a television series. The two films grossed $457.1 million worldwide against a $23 million combined budget. The first film ...
'' in which she will serve as director and screenwriter.


Personal life

In September 1993, Vardalos married American actor Ian Gomez. After trying for nine years to conceive through IVF and surrogacy, Vardalos and Gomez adopted their daughter, Ilaria, in 2008. At the time Ilaria was three years old and part of the foster care system. In 2013, Vardalos wrote a book about the experience, a ''New York Times'' bestseller she titled ''Instant Mom'', and she donates all the proceeds from its royalties to adoption groups. Vardalos also posted an advice column about the adoption process in ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''. On July 3, 2018, it was announced that Vardalos had filed for divorce from Gomez after 23 years of marriage, and that they had already been separated since June of 2017. The divorce was finalized two months later.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

*
Nia Vardalos's Executive Producer Profile on The 1 Second Film website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vardalos, Nia 1962 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Winnipeg American film actresses American writers of Greek descent American television actresses American voice actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Greek descent Canadian television actresses Canadian voice actresses Eastern Orthodox Christians from Canada Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Writers from Winnipeg American women screenwriters Canadian women screenwriters Independent Spirit Award winners People with acquired American citizenship Canadian Comedy Award winners