Rita Wilson is an American actress, singer and producer from Los Angeles, California. Born Margarita Ibrahimoff, she is raised in a Greek Orthodox family. Her father, a Bulgarian Muslim immigrant, changes the family name to Wilson in 1960, and her mother is from an ethnic Greek village in present-day Albania.

Screen career

Wilson begins her career with a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch in the episode “Greg’s Triangle” in 1972. She goes on to appear in television series and films through the 1970s and 1980s and beyond. Her film credits include 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.

On television, she appears in guest roles in series including Three’s Company, Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Good Wife and Body of Proof. She also plays Susan Borman, the wife of astronaut Frank Borman, in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.

Theatre and production

Wilson performs on Broadway as Roxie Hart in the revival of Chicago, taking the role from June to August 2006. She also works as a producer and is credited with helping bring Nia Vardalos’ film deal for My Big Fat Greek Wedding together; she produces the film, which becomes the highest-grossing independent film of all time.

Music

Wilson is also a recording artist. Her debut solo album, AM/FM, is released on Decca Records and features classics from the 1960s and 1970s. The album shows the cover-song focus suggested by her catalogue, drawing on material from those decades.

Personal life

Wilson marries actor Tom Hanks in 1988. They have two sons, Chester and Truman, and she has two stepchildren, Colin and Elizabeth Hanks. She also has one grandchild and two step-grandchildren.