“We must make choices that are outside of the familial expectations of us, or we'll just be repeating the mistakes. Our parents came here to give us better choices.”

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.