Nia Vardalos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nia Vardalos
Vardalos in 2011
Born	Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (1962-09-24) September 24, 1962 (age 62) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Alma mater	Toronto Metropolitan University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress screenwriter director producer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Ian Gomez ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2018)​
Children	1

Antonia Eugenia Vardalos (Greek: Αντωνία Ευγενία Βαρντάλος, romanized: Antonía Evyenía Vardálos; born September 24, 1962) is a talented Canadian actress and screenwriter. She is most famous for writing and starring in the romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). This movie was a huge hit! It earned her nominations for important awards like the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film was so popular that it became a whole series of movies and TV shows.

Early Life and Education

Nia Vardalos was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on September 24, 1962. Her parents, Doreen and Constantine, were Greek-Canadian. She went to school in Winnipeg, attending St. George School and Shaftesbury High School. Later, she studied at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto.

Acting and Writing Career

Vardalos at the Connie and Carla premiere in Los Angeles, April 2004

Nia Vardalos started her career in comedy. She was part of The Second City comedy group in Chicago. There, she wrote and performed in many funny sketch shows. She even won an award for Best Actress!

Before her big movie success, Vardalos had small roles in TV shows. These included The Drew Carey Show and Two Guys and a Girl. She also lent her voice to a radio version of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Her big break came with the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She wrote the film and starred in it as Toula Portokalos. The movie is about a woman trying to find love while dealing with her big, loud Greek family. It was a huge success with both critics and audiences. The film became one of the highest-earning independent movies ever. It was also the top romantic comedy of all time! For her work, Nia was nominated for an Academy Award for her writing. She also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress.

In 2004, Vardalos wrote and starred in another movie called Connie and Carla. In this musical comedy, two women pretend to be drag queens to hide from criminals. She also sang and danced in the film.

Nia Vardalos tried directing for the first time with the movie I Hate Valentine's Day (2009). This film was about a florist who finds romance. It was made with a small budget but earned a lot of money. After that, she starred in My Life in Ruins. In this movie, she played a tour guide traveling around Greece. This film was special because it was the first American movie allowed to film at the famous Acropolis of Athens. Nia used her Greek language skills to get permission from the Greek government.

In 2011, she worked with actor Tom Hanks to write the romantic comedy Larry Crowne. She also voiced a character in the movie. Later, in 2016, she wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. This sequel also did very well at the box office.

Nia Vardalos has also appeared in plays. She adapted the book Tiny Beautiful Things into a play. She starred in the play in New York and California. From 2015 to 2017, she co-hosted The Great American Baking Show on TV. She also guest-starred in TV shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Chucky. In 2020, she played a real person, Stacey Castor, in the TV movie Poisoned Love.

In 2023, Nia Vardalos returned as Toula Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. For this movie, she was both the director and the screenwriter!

Personal Life

In September 1993, Nia Vardalos married American actor Ian Gomez. They tried for many years to have a child. In 2008, they adopted their daughter, who was three years old at the time. She had been in the foster care system.

In 2013, Nia wrote a book about her adoption journey called Instant Mom. This book became a New York Times bestseller. She donates all the money she earns from the book to groups that help with adoption. She also wrote an advice column about adoption for The Huffington Post.

Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez separated in 2017 and their divorce was finalized in 2018.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Nia Vardalos para niños