Sofía Vergara's Real Name: Sofía Vergara

Quick answer: Sofía Vergara is publicly known by her real name, and she has never used a stage name. She was born on July 10, 1972, in Barranquilla, Colombia. She is best known as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family (2009–20) and as drug trafficker Griselda Blanco in the miniseries Griselda (2024) (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files her as "Vergara, Sofía, 1972-," citing "Sofía Vergara; actress; b. July 10, 1972, in Barranquilla, Colombia." Britannica uses the same name and birth details. Neither source records a separate birth name or extended legal name, so this page treats Sofía Vergara as her documented name.

Britannica says a chance encounter with a photographer on a Colombian beach when she was 17 led her to give up plans to study dentistry and pursue modeling. She hosted Colombian television shows until 1998. That year her brother was murdered, and her family moved to Miami. There she hosted the Spanish-language game show A que no te atreves ("I Dare You") and began getting small roles in American film and TV.

Career highlights

She was one of the four leads in the romantic comedy Chasing Papi (2003) and had supporting roles in Four Brothers (2005) and Meet the Browns (2008). In 2009 she played Mama Morton in the Broadway revival of Chicago. That same year her big break came when she joined Modern Family as Gloria. Britannica calls her the show's breakout star, and the role brought four straight Emmy nominations for supporting actress in a comedy (2010–13). The series ran 11 seasons and ended in 2020.

Film roles followed in Machete Kills (2013), Hot Pursuit (2015), and Bottom of the 9th (2019). She voiced a character in The Emoji Movie (2017) and became a judge on America's Got Talent in 2020. Her performance as Griselda Blanco in Griselda (2024) earned an Emmy nomination.

She is also a businesswoman. In 1994 she cofounded Latin World Entertainment, a talent-management firm that Britannica says grew into one of the most powerful Hispanic media marketing companies in the world. She became a U.S. citizen in 2014 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. She was married to actor Joe Manganiello from 2015 until their 2024 divorce.

Name notes for searchers

Her first name is spelled Sofía, with an accent on the í, in LOC and Britannica. English-language credits often drop the accent and print "Sofia Vergara." Both spellings refer to the same person. Vergara is her family surname, and she has kept it through her marriages, including her years with Joe Manganiello.