2024 Emmy Nominee Sofía Vergara Says Filming ‘Griselda’ Was a “Whole New World for Me”
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1972-present
Sofia Vergara Now: Actor Receives Emmy Nomination for Griselda
Sofía Vergara joked that she might finally win an Emmy Award because she isn’t facing her Modern Family costar Julie Bowen. Now 52, Vergara was nominated for her supporting role on the ABC sitcom each year from 2010 through 2013 but never won, twice watching Bowen accept the trophy instead. This time, the Colombian actor is in an entirely different genre and category; she earned a 2024 Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie for her portrayal of Griselda Blanco in the Netflix limited crime series Griselda.
Vergara is the first Latina actor to receive a nomination in the category. “It’s special because it was a whole new world for me acting, learning so many new things, like crying on camera, smoking,” she told Variety about playing the notorious drug trafficker. “I knew I was part of something good from the moment I stepped on set because of the writing and the director and the actors in the whole project.”
Vergara’s competition this year includes Jodie Foster, Brie Larson, Juno Temple, and Naomi Watts. The 76th Emmy Awards are on September 15 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Who Is Sofia Vergara?
Colombian actor Sofía Vergara is known for her Emmy-nominated roles as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the sitcom Modern Family and as real-life drug trafficker Griselda Blanco in the Netflix limited series Griselda. 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 movies in 2002 before achieving widespread recognition on television. Her movies include Happy Feet Two, The Smurfs, Chef, and Hot Pursuit. Vergara currently serves as a judge on the NBC competition show America’s Got Talent.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Sofía Margarita Vergara
BORN: July 10, 1972
BIRTHPLACE: Barranquilla, Colombia
SPOUSES: Joe Gonzalez (1990-1993) and Joe Manganiello (2015-2024)
CHILDREN: Manolo
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer
Young Sofia Vergara
Sofía Margarita 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 Latin American markets, before working as a model and starring in a Mexican telenovela.
She became a Univision television personality in the mid-1990s after relocating to the United States. Vergara hosted the travel show Fuera de Serie 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 talent 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.
Vergara eventually obtained American citizenship, announcing the news in December 2014 during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Movies and Shows: Modern Family and Griselda
Vergara became known as a movie actor following her debut in 2002’s Big Trouble, alongside Tim Allen and Rene Russo. Chasing Papi came next in 2003, with Vergara playing one of Thomas Fuentes’ three girlfriends. By the end of the decade, she had starred in two movies 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.
Emmy Nominee for Modern Family
Her movie career established, Vergara began her role as the hot and assertive Gloria Delgado-Pritchett who is married to the much-older Jay (played by Ed O’Neill) on the ABC sitcom Modern Family in 2009. The show, about three related families in suburban Los Angeles, was an instant hit commercially and critically and went on to win five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Vergara received praise for her performance, picking up four consecutive Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the supporting actress category. She also won a People’s Choice Award in 2017 for favorite comedic actress before Modern Family signed off in April 2020.
In an August 2024 Variety interview, Vergara said she is open to reprising the role for a new series or TV movie. “I’d die to be on that set. It’d be so much fun,” she said.
Happy Feet Two and Hot Pursuit
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 costarring Jon Favreau.
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 costarred in the crime thriller Bent in 2018 and the baseball drama Bottom of the 9th the following year.
Even with this extensive filmography, Vergara has gained the most recognition on television thanks to two Emmy-nominated series and a popular reality competition show.
Judge on America's Got Talent
Following the conclusion of Modern Family, Vergara didn’t have to wait long for her next big project. In February 2020, the reality competition show America’s Got Talent announced she had joined the show’s panel of judges alongside Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel. “This is a new and exciting next chapter for me, and I’m extremely proud to be the first Latin judge on the show. I can’t wait to watch all the talent and have fun with all you guys!” Vergara said of the news.
Vergara is currently in her fifth season on AGT, the 19th overall for the NBC program. Her golden buzzer selection in 2022, dance group the Mayyas, won the competition.
Griselda Star
In a stark contrast to her joyful role on AGT, Vergara returned to scripted television in January 2024 as the star of Griselda, a six-episode Netflix limited series about notorious drug trafficker Griselda Blanco.
The project began with controversy, as the real Blanco’s son sued Vergara and the streaming service ahead of the premiere, claiming the series used his likeness and unreleased “artistic literary work” without his permission. The lawsuit was permanently dismissed weeks later in February.
Vergara initially had reservations about playing the ruthless Blanco. “There were a million things that I was nervous about, mainly my performance,” she told Deadline. “This was my first time acting in Spanish, my first time doing drama, and I was nervous if I was going to be able to convince people that it wasn’t just Gloria Pritchett with a plastic nose.” However, the performance ended up earning the actor a fifth Emmy nomination, this time for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie.
Net Worth
Vergara has an estimated net worth of $180 million as of May 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Vergara planted the seeds for financial success long before she became the highest-paid actress on television. In 1994, she cofounded the talent management company Latin World Entertainment. Forbes has reported she receives an “eight-figure” salary for her judging America’s Got Talent.
The actor launched her own Kmart clothing line in 2011 and a fragrance and jewelry collection three years later. She has teamed with Walmart to debut a denim brand and, more recently, a line of swimwear. According to NBC News, Vergara also has an eyewear collection with Foster Grant. In 2024, the entrepreneurial-minded performer launched the coffee brand ?DíOS MIO! The coffee is sourced and produced in her native Colombia.
Vergara has frequently appeared in commercials to endorse brands such as State Farm, Diet Pepsi, and AT&T.
Ex-Husbands and Son
Vergara is currently single but has been married twice.
In 1990, 18-year-old Vergara married her childhood sweetheart Joe Gonzalez; they have a son, Manolo, who was born in 1991. The couple divorced two years later.
In summer 2014, Vergara began dating fellow actor Joe Manganiello, who starred in True Blood and Magic Mike. That December, the couple announced their engagement. Vergara and Manganiello married in 2015 and announced they were divorcing in July 2023. She later told El País, “My marriage broke up because my husband was younger; he wanted to have kids, and I didn’t want to be an old mom.” Manganiello later refuted having children was the reason for their break up, instead saying they grew apart. The divorce was finalized in April 2024, according to People.
Beyond her marriages, Vergara was in a serious relationship with New Yorker Nick Loeb, a film production company co-owner. Vergara and Loeb got engaged in July 2012 but ultimately split in May 2014. The actor Vergara found herself in the midst of a legal battle with her ex the next year. Loeb sued her over control of frozen embryos created by the pair when they were a couple. He claimed she was going to destroy them, but she denied the accusation. In a statement to People, her attorney said that Vergara was “content to leave the embryos frozen indefinitely.”
Health: Cancer Survivor
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.
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