Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. Her mother, Margarita, is a housewife. Her father, Julio, provides cattle to the meat industry. She has five siblings. She was educated at a private bilingual Spanish/English school. She then went on to study pre-Dentistry at Colombia University. However, Sofía was discovered by a photographer, whilst at the beach, and this led to various jobs in modeling and television. At age 23, she was a runway model. From 1995 to 1998, she co-hosted a travel show, "Fuera de serie" (1995), which gave her exposure in the United States. Her first film role was Big Trouble (2002). Her breakthrough role was as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the American television series "Modern Family" (2009). In 2011, she received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" for this role.
Modern Family was an instant hit, commercially and critically, and soon won several Emmy Awards. In 2011, Vergara was nominated for an Emmy (for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series). That same year, she voiced the role of Carmen in Happy Feet 2—a sequel to the 2006 Warner Bros. film Happy Feet—and landed a part in The Smurfs.
Vergara begins dating Florida-based businessman Nick Loeb, the heir to New York's Loeb, Rhoades banking fortune. Six months into their relationship, he is seriously injured in a car accident. "It was hard for us because it happened in the middle of the most fun, sexy time," she tells Shape. "But throughout the whole ordeal, Nick kept his sense of humor despite the situation. I don't know if I could have stuck it out with him if he hadn't been able to laugh at himself and be happy even under the worst conditions."
