Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff; October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. She appeared in the films Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Now and Then (1995), Jingle All the Way (1996), The Story of Us (1999) and Runaway Bride (1999). Wilson has also performed on Broadway and on television, and she has produced several films, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002).
Rita Wilson was born as Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Dorothea Genkos (Dorothy), was Greek, born and raised in Sotirë near Dropull i Sipërm (Greek: Άνω Δρόπολις, Ano Dropolis) in Albania, close to the border of Greece. Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff (Bulgarian: Хасан Халилов Ибрахимов, March 21, 1920 – March 6, 2009), was a Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim), born in Breshtene (Oraio) in the municipality Myki in the regional unit of Xanthi, Thrace, Greece, close to the border of Bulgaria. Her father's half-brother Ferhat lives in Bulgaria. Wilson's father lived in Bulgaria, from where he moved to the United States on May 4, 1949. He converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity upon his marriage and changed his name from Hassan Ibrahimoff to Allan Wilson in 1960, choosing his name after a local street. Rita was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith. Her father in addition to his Bulgarian could speak "Russian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, a little bit of Italian, a little bit of French" according to Rita's husband Tom Hanks, who said he modeled his portrayal of the character Viktor Navorski in the film The Terminal on his father-in-law.