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Rita Wilson

Rita Wilson captured film-going audiences' hearts with her now classic crying scene in the box-office hit Sleepless in Seattle. Her subsequent feature roles were a study in contrasts-she was seen as every man's fantasy cocktail waitress in That Thing You Do, followed by her portrayal of the perfect suburban wife opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way. Wilson also had a recurring role as astronaut Frank Borman's wife Susan in the Emmy-Award winning 12-part HBO mini-series From the Earth to the Moon.

In 1999, Wilson appeared in Runaway Bride as Richard Gere's ex-wife and boss. The film also stared Julia Roberts and was directed by Gary Marshall. Following that, Wilson co-starred as Michelle Pfeiffer's best friend in The Story of Us, opposite Bruce Willis for director Rob Reiner.

Prior to that, Wilson was involved in several projects including a role as a secretary in the highly anticipated remake of Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock's daughter, Pat, played the role in the original film. She also appeared in Invisible Child, a Lifetime original movie directed by Joan Micklin Silver and written by Ron Bass and David Field. Wilson starred opposite Victor Garber as a woman with an imaginary child.

Wilson's other feature credits include Now and Then, with Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell and Melanie Griffith; Nora Ephron's Mixed Nuts, in which she proved the perfect foil opposite Steve Martin, it also co-starred Madeline Kahn, Juliette Lewis and Adam Sandler; If These Walls Could Talk, Bonfire of the Vanities and Volunteers (where she met husband Tom Hanks).

On television, Wilson starred in HBO's Barbarians at the Gate, as well several highly lauded guest roles including Frasier and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Early in her career, Wilson accepted an invitation to work and train at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. During her year in England, she appeared in numerous stage productions, including: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Oresteia, and Tis Pity She's a Whore, all at the Macowan Theater in London. Her performance as Celia at the John Anson Ford Theater in Los Angeles of As You Like It earned her a Drama-Logue Award as best actress.

Additionally, Wilson has since donned her producers cap for the charming indie film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Wilson lives in Los Angeles with her family. She is also on the board of Shakespeare/L.A., a non-profit theater group in Los Angeles.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2002.

Rita Wilson Facts

Birth NameMargarita Ibrahimoff
OccupationActress
BirthdayOctober 26, 1958 (65)
SignScorpio
BirthplaceLos Angeles, California, USA
Height5' 8" (1m73)  How tall is Rita Wilson compared to you?
Social Media RitaWilson

Selected Filmography

Runaway Bride
It's Complicated
Now and Then
Raise Your Voice
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie
Psycho
Hoodlum
Walking Tall
The Art of Getting By
That Thing You Do!
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