“Like most women, I thought it would be easy once I decided to start a family. I was surprised that Mother Nature kept poking me in the eye, saying, 'Nope, nope, nope.'”

Canadian actress and screenwriter

Antonia Eugenia “Nia” Vardalos is a Canadian actress and screenwriter. She is best known for writing and starring in the 2002 romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that brought her major award recognition and later became the basis for a larger media franchise. Vardalos’s work on the film earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. Her public profile is closely tied to that success, as both performer and writer in a story that reached a wide audience.