Margarita Ibrahimoff, known professionally as Rita Wilson, is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and producer. Her film appearances include Volunteers (1985), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Now and Then (1995), Jingle All the Way (1996), The Story of Us (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), and It’s Complicated (2009), and she appeared in the television series The Good Wife and Girls. Wilson has performed on Broadway, and has produced several films, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). As a singer/songwriter, Wilson has released the albums AM/FM, Rita Wilson, Bigger Picture, and Halfway to Home.
In March 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early life
Rita Wilson was born as Margarita Ibrahimoff in Hollywood, California and grew up there. Her mother, Dorothea, was Greek, raised in Sotirë near Dropull i Sipërm in Albania, close to the border with Greece. Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff (1920–2009), was a Bulgarian Muslim (Pomak) born in Oraio (Breshtene), Greece, close to the border with Bulgaria. Her father’s family moved to Bulgaria, when he was a child. He moved from Bulgaria to the US in 1949. He converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity upon his marriage and changed his name to Allan Wilson in 1960, choosing his name after a local street. Rita was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith. In addition to Bulgarian, her father could speak “Russian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, a little bit of Italian, a little bit of French” according to Rita’s husband Tom Hanks, who said he modeled his portrayal of the character Viktor Navorski in the film The Terminal on his father-in-law.
Personal Life of Rita Wilson
Wilson married actor Tom Hanks in 1988, and they have two sons, Chester and Truman. Wilson has two stepchildren, Colin and Elizabeth Hanks. Wilson has one grandchild, and two step-grandchildren.
She is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.
In April 2015, Wilson announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. After a one-month hiatus, she returned to Larry David‘s Fish in the Dark Broadway show.
On March 12, 2020, Hanks announced through his Instagram profile that the couple had contracted COVID-19 and were experiencing minor symptoms while he was shooting an upcoming film Elvis (as Colonel Tom Parker) with director Baz Luhrmann in Australia. They were admitted to the Gold Coast University Hospital.
Personal Quotes
- I’ve never wanted to be a big star. I just want to keep on working.
- Awareness is empowering.
- You’ve got to want to be married to the person you’re married to.
- Performing live actually thrills me. Just get me a stage, get me a mic, and I’m going to be happy.
- The Greek side of me definitely loves a good meal, a lot of laughing, loud discussions.
- I’m not trying to prove anything.
- My mother is Greek and my father is Bulgarian. I am a first-generation American and native Los Angeleno. I was born and raised in Hollywood.
- I would go to school and be American and then come home and be Greek.
- I always wanted to sing. I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t know how to make the singing thing happen.
- As a woman, I feel women get the shaft all the time.
- I’ve played so many moms, best friends, sisters and understanding people.
External Links
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