Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff;[3] October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include Volunteers (1985), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Now and Then (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), Jingle All the Way (1996), The Story of Us (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), It's Complicated (2009), and Larry Crowne (2011), and she appeared in the television series The Good Wife and Girls. Wilson has performed on Broadway and 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.[4]
Rita Wilson
- United States
- Greece[2]
- Actress
- singer
- producer
1972–present
2, including Chet Hanks
Colin Hanks (stepson)
Jim Hanks (brother-in-law)
Larry Hanks (brother-in-law)
- Sing It Loud Records
Early life[edit]
Rita Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles[5] where she grew up.[4] Her mother, Dorothea Tzigkou (Greek: Δωροθέα Τζίγκου), was Greek, raised in Sotirë near Dropull i Sipërm in Albania, close to the border with Greece.[6] Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff (Bulgarian: Хасан Халилов Ибрахимов; 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.[7][8] He converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity upon his marriage and changed his name to Allan Wilson in 1960,[8] choosing his name after a local street. The family lived in Los Angeles, where Wilson's father worked as a bartender.[9] Wilson was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith.[10] In addition to Bulgarian, her father could speak "Russian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, a little bit of Italian, a little bit of French" according to Wilson'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.[11]
Activism[edit]
In 2015, Wilson signed an open letter on which the ONE Campaign had been collecting signatures. The letter was addressed to Angela Merkel and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, urging them to focus on women as they serve as the head of the G7 in Germany and the AU in South Africa respectively. The G7 and AU were expected to set the priorities in development funding before a main UN summit in September 2015 that was to establish new development goals for the generation.[87]
Philanthropy[edit]
For over 20 years, Wilson and her husband, Tom Hanks, have been honorary co-chairs along with Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw of the Women's Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), specializing in raising money for women's cancers.[88] In 2016, WCRF joined forces with Evelyn Lauder's Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Wilson contributed to the Moffitt Cancer Center by donating "True Hearts" jewelry made of sterling silver and 14k gold.
Wilson has credited Rosie O'Donnell as inspiration for her charitable work, particularly with cancer and children's charities.[89] She and her husband have long supported the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles,[90] going back to 1989 when Wilson appeared as Celia in a production of As You Like It.[91] Their annual Simply Shakespeare event raises funds to support programs for underprivileged youth. Musicians at the fundraiser have included Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Ben Harper, Reba McEntire, and more.
In 2018, Wilson and Hanks were honored[92] with USC Shoah Foundation's Ambassadors For Humanity award in recognition of their "longstanding commitment to humanitarian causes and support of veterans".[93] The couple also contribute to other charities including AIDS Project Los Angeles,[94] and many more.
Wilson and her husband have also made a significant contribution in helping the people who suffered from the Mati Fire in Greece.[95] This has earned her and Hanks an offer of honorary naturalization in Greece from the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos[95] on December 27, 2019.
