Family

She was raised by her immigrant Greek Canadian parents Constantine “Gus” and Doreen Vardalos. Her mother, Doreen was a bookkeeper and her father, Constantin, a land developer. They were not a wealthy family, but a very loving and supportive one. They knew she was going to be a star by the time she was six years old.

"Gus" and Doreen continued to support Nia and her aspiring acting dreams as they watched her perform at the Rainbow Stage. Soon she would be in Chicago playing at Chicago's Second City. Here she met her future husband and fellow actor, Ian Gomez. The got married on September 5, 1993.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

The newlyweds soon moved to Los Angeles, where Nia and Ian both were doing small roles in TV shows. Not long after Nia was inspired to start writing My Big Fat Greek Wedding, based on the funny memories of her actual wedding. She completed her first draft in about two weeks' time. Nia's play about her hysterically funny wedding, caught the attention of Rita Wilson, Mrs. Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks caught the next showing of the play, and the ball was rolling. What started off as a simple little one-woman play, was about to be a major box office hit, with her as the star. She went on to be a director in 2009, by directing I hate Valentine’s Day.

Adoption

Happily married, career exceeding all of her expectations, but yet something was still missing, a child. Nia and Ian had been trying for years. They had gone through 13 invitro fertilization treatments, only to face disappointment. They had given up hope on adoption options after a few attempts were unsuccessful. Then they went through a foster/adopt program, that Nia learned about from a billboard sign. She describes it as "her sign" that this was meant to be, and it was. The couple received a call at 9:00 pm and had less than 14 hours to prepare their home to bring their daughter home. The ecstatic couple welcomed 3-year-old Ilaria into their family. Nia and Ian moved into their daughter's pink Hello Kitty room so they could take turns holding her tight at night. There was an adjustment period, but seven years later at the age of ten, she is a happy, well-adjusted child.

Mom is doing very well also when she starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding; she got paid $150,000.00, her net worth now is estimated to be 10 million. She is an actress, a director, a writer, an author and most important of all a mother.

Since then, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 has hit the big screen, and the star is still Greek but far from fat. Nia under strict doctor's orders due to blood sugar issues in one year's time had a remarkable weight loss of 40 pounds. Nia is a notable example that working mothers can have it all and enjoy it also.