Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara, Sof?a Margarita Vergara Vergara (born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.

Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisi?n in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable acting job in English, the 2003 film Chasing Papi. Subsequently, she appeared in films, including two Tyler Perry films, Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009), receiving an ALMA Award nomination for the latter. Vergara’s success within television, has earned her roles in recent films, The Smurfs (2011), New Year’s Eve (2011), Happy Feet Two (2011) and The Three Stooges (2012).

Vergara currently stars on the critically acclaimed ABC series Modern Family as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Comedy Actress. Vergara earned international fame from the role.

Vergara was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita Vergara D?vila de Vergara, is a homemaker, and her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, produced cattle for the meat industry. “Toti” was the nickname given to Vergara by her five brothers and sisters and many cousins. She grew up in her hometown of Barranquilla, and was raised as a devout Catholic in a well-off family, attending a private bilingual Spanish/English school.

After her divorce, Vergara studied pre-dentistry at a university in Colombia for three years. Then, many opportunities arose to work in modeling and in show business, and Vergara decided to pursue these in Latin America, leaving two semesters shy of graduating from dental school. Soon she decided to move to Miami, Florida, to take advantage of opportunities and to move away from unrest in Colombia (her older brother had been murdered in 1998 during an attempt to kidnap him). She brought her son, mother and sister with her. Her sister, Sandra, is now a minor movie and television actress in the United States.

Vergara was married at the age of 18 to her childhood sweetheart, and she gave birth to her son Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergara on September 16, 1992, at the age of 20.

In 1998, Vergara’s older brother, Rafael, was murdered on the streets of Bogota, Colombia. On May 9, 2011, Vergara’s younger brother, Julio, was deported back to Colombia after being arrested in April; Julio also had a longtime drug addiction and brushes with the law. “To see somebody dying over 10 years, little by little, that’s the worst punishment,” Vergara told Parade magazine. “Now he’s like another person.”

Vergara was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000. She followed the treatment recommended by her doctors (surgery, iodine radiation) and made a full recovery.

Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara, Sexy Colombian actress Sofia Vergara will host the fundraising gala Belive 2011, charity event promises a night full of gourmet food, cocktails, entertainment, fashion and fun in support of nonprofit Colombia.

Belive gala to be held in South Florida beach, four Colombians raises funds for nonprofit based in the United States to Colombia, Formula Smiles Foundation, Genesis, and ArtNexus Foundation.

Belive headquarters this year is Lauren Santo Domingo, Vogue magazine editor and Co-Founder and Creative Director of Fashion Operandi, which will coordinate the project Mochila Wayuu.

The project lasts 40 hand-woven bags, created by the Wayuu community in Guajira, Colombia to be modified by some of the designers of the fashion world’s most important, as Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Christian Louboutin, Herve Leger Helmut Lang, and more.

Once completed, the labor exchanges re-opened in a fashion elite at the event, produced by international fashion boutique multi-Webster.

Internationally renowned Colombian pop sensation Juan Fernando “Fonseca” Belive also be presented with his unique style of music that mixes vallenato and cumbia hits, two Colombian popular music genres.

The event celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, and attracts highly respected public figures and celebrities and celebrities who come to support nonprofit Colombia.

Belive 2011 is scheduled for November 17 at the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach, Florida. Individual tickets are 500.