Maria Vacratsis (born July 28, 1955) is a Canadian actress. She has been featured in several Canadian television series, including Degrassi: The Next Generation , Little Mosque on the Prairie , Tactical Girls , and Rent-a-Goalie . In addition to her work on television, she has appeared with Chris Farley and David Spade in the 1995 film Tommy Boy and as Aunt Frieda in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and its sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016). She also voiced Queen Metaria (aka Negaforce) in the original English dub of Sailor Moon . [1] [2]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Destiny to Order | Lisa | |
1995 | Tommy Boy | Helen | |
The Michelle Apartments | Hotel Manager | ||
1997 | Hayseed | Auntie Prudence | |
1999 | Judgment Day: The Ellie Nesler Story | Driver's Public Defender | |
2002 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Aunt Freida | |
2007 | Shoot 'Em Up | Pawnshop Owner | |
2009 | Saturday | Maria | |
2014 | Guidance | Mrs. Kim | |
2015 | 88 | Sally | |
A Date with Miss Fortune | Señora Maria | ||
The Rainbow Kid | Meredith | ||
2016 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 | Aunt Freida | |
2018 | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | Sofia | |
2019 | Heavy | Grandmother | |
Canadian Strain | Barbara Banting | ||
2023 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 | Aunt Frieda |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Hangin' In | Mrs. Kaplan | Episode: "Oy Vey, Mike's Going Away" |
1985 | Night Heat | Union Goon | Episode: "Poison" |
Turning to Stone | Inmate | Television film | |
The Boys from Syracuse | Corporal | ||
1986 | Four on the Floor | Various roles | 10 episodes |
1987 | Street Legal | Judge Feldman | Episode: "Desperate Alibi" |
1988 | Katts and Dog | Woman | Episode: "Hostages" |
1991 | E.N.G. | Patty | Episode: "Tyger, Tyger" |
1993 | Candles, Snow and Mistletoe | Wife | Television film |
1994 | Dan Redican Comedy Hour | Various roles | Television film |
The Mighty Jungle | Jerry | 2 episodes | |
Sodbusters | Beth Poulet | Television film | |
1994–1995 | Ready or Not | Ms. Kozmuchka | 3 episodes |
1995 | The Great Defender | Dimitria | Episode: "Pilot" |
The Shamrock Conspiracy | Mrs. Lombardo | Television film | |
Choices of the Heart | Emma Goldman | ||
Side Effects | Magda Pantazzi | Episode: "Rust Proof" | |
1995–2000 | Sailor Moon | Various roles | 16 episodes |
1996 | Radiant City | Sylvia | Television film |
1997 | Due South | Charmain | Episode: "Eclipse" |
Wind at My Back | Mrs. Foster | Episode: "Never Sleep Three in a Bed" | |
Major Crime | Mary Ann McInnis | Television film | |
1997-1998 | Goosebumps | Janet / Big Edna | 3 episodes |
1998 | Giving Up the Ghost | Maria | Television film |
1998-1999 | Mythic Warriors | Atropos / Hecate | 2 episodes |
1998; 2001 | Made in Canada | J.W. Anderson | 2 episodes |
1999 | Sealed with a Kiss | Mrs. Papaportiliou | Television film |
2000 | The Zack Files | Queen of Hearts | Episode: "Library of No Return" |
2001 | Leap Years | Aunt Blanca | Episode #1.18 |
2002 | Guilt by Association | Old Lucy | Television film |
Odyssey 5 | Elaine Wilkerson | Episode: "Pilot" | |
Street Time | Receptionist | 2 episodes | |
2002–2003 | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Sheila | 7 episodes |
2002, 2004 | Puppets Who Kill | Various roles | 2 episodes |
2003 | Profoundly Normal | Hemlock Nurse | Television film |
2004 | Doc | Riker's Landlady | Episode: "Modelrageous" |
Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye | Aunt Hattie Roland | Episode: "Concrete Evidence" | |
2005 | Slings & Arrows | Witch #1 | 3 episodes |
Odd Job Jack | Various roles | Episode: "A Christmas Coma" | |
Sons of Butcher | 5 episodes | ||
2006–2008 | Rent-a-Goalie | Firstman | 12 episodes |
2007 | Little Mosque on the Prairie | Mother Hamoudi | Episode: "Mother-in-Law" |
2008 | Testees | Hot Dog Lady | Episode: "Herfume" |
2010 | Lost Girl | Ms. Sizemore | Episode: "Dead Lucky" |
Being Erica | Joan | Episode: "Jenny from the Block" | |
2011 | Skins | Brown Paw | Episode: "Abbud" |
Salem Falls | Delilah | Television film | |
2014 | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Esther | |
Rick Mercer Report | Old Lady | Episode #12.3 | |
Murdoch Mysteries | Miss Glenys Moore | Episode: "The Keystone Constables" | |
Guidestones | Olga Tarski | Episode: "A Small Tragedy" | |
2015 | Rookie Blue | Warden Justine Ordower | Episode: "Uprising" |
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise | Animal Shelter Employee | Television film | |
2016 | The ZhuZhus | Secretary | Episode: "Walter-Gate/Janitor Day" |
The Beaverton | Regina Thompson | Episode #1.2 | |
2016–2018 | Tactical Girls | The Boss | 4 episodes |
2017 | Running with Violet | Daddy | 5 episodes |
Schitt's Creek | Darlene's Cousin | Episode: "Friends & Family" | |
Save Me | Luana | Episode: "Neck Trauma" | |
2017–2019 | Hotel Transylvania: The Series | Additional voices | 14 episodes |
2019 | Odd Squad | Nana Banana | Episode: "Odds and Ends" |
Boombats | Mrs. Scrota | 2 episodes | |
Diggstown | Olympia Laertes | Episode: "Renee Joy" | |
2020 | Dino Dana | Grandma | 17 episodes |
2021 | Big Blue | Krelly | 2 episodes |
2021–2022 | Something Undone | Aunt Hannah | 3 episodes |
2022 | The Kids in the Hall | Winnie | 1 episode |
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone. It follows a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.
Andrea Louise Martin is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series SCTV and Great News. She has appeared in films such as Black Christmas (1974), Wag the Dog (1997), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), and Little Italy (2018). She has also lent her voice to the animated films Anastasia (1997), The Rugrats Movie (1998), and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001).
Antonia Eugenia Vardalos is a Canadian actress and screenwriter. She starred in and wrote the romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), which garnered her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
John Joseph Corbett Jr. is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on Northern Exposure (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City (2000–2003), Max Gregson on United States of Tara (2009–2011), and Seth Holt on Parenthood (2011–2015). In film, he is known for roles in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, Raising Helen (2004), The Messengers (2007), Sex and the City 2 (2010), Ramona & Beezus (2010), and the To All the Boys film trilogy (2018–2021).
Lainie Kazan is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for St. Elsewhere and the 1993 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for My Favorite Year. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in My Favorite Year (1982). Kazan played Maria Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its sequels My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. She also played Aunt Freida on The Nanny.
Susan Roman is a Canadian voice actress and voice director, best known for voice acting the role of Lita/Sailor Jupiter in the Canada DiC dub of the anime, Sailor Moon. She is one of the few voice actors to remain throughout the entire run of the Sailor Moon series.
Gold Circle Films is an American independent film production and sales company, mainly focusing on horror, comedy, and romance films founded in 2000 by former co-founder of Gateway Computer, Norman Waitt Jr. Titles released by Gold Circle include White Noise, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Slither,The Wedding Date, The Man from Elysian Fields, and the Pitch Perfect series.
Michael Constantine was an American actor. He is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Kostas "Gus" Portokalos, the Windex bottle-toting Greek father of Toula Portokalos, in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Earlier, he earned acclaim for his television work, especially as the long-suffering high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's comedy-drama, Room 222, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1970; he was again recognized by the Emmy Awards, as well as the Golden Globe Awards, the following year. After the conclusion of Room 222, Constantine portrayed night court magistrate Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976 sitcom Sirota's Court, receiving his second Golden Globe nomination. Constantine reprised his role as Gus Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).
Fiona Reid, CM is an English-born Canadian television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles as Cathy on the TV series King of Kensington and Harriet Miller in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
Gia Carides is an Australian actress. She portrayed Liz Holt in Strictly Ballroom, Susy Connor in Brilliant Lies, and Cousin Nikki in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
My Big Fat Greek Life is an American sitcom television series that ran on CBS from February 24 to April 13, 2003. The series is a continuation of the 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tom Hanks's Playtone Productions for CBS. The two lead characters' names are changed, from Toula and Ian, to Nia and Thomas.
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance is an American reality television series broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The six-episode series premiered on January 19, 2004, and concluded on February 23, 2004. Filmed in Los Angeles, California, the series followed Randi Coy, a 23-year-old teacher, in competition for a $1,000,000 reward. In order to win the reward, Coy was required to convince her family and friends that she was engaged to and planned to elope with Steven Williams, an ill-mannered 29-year-old man. If any of Coy's family members refused to attend her wedding or objected during the ceremony, Coy would lose the competition. Coy was under the impression that Williams was another contestant competing for a monetary reward, however, he was actually Steven Bailey, an actor hired to thwart her attempt to win the competition. The series was hosted by Canadian actor Claudia DiFolco.
My Life in Ruins is a 2009 romantic-comedy film directed by Donald Petrie and starring Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Rachel Dratch, Harland Williams and Alistair McGowan. Set among the ruins of ancient Greece, the film follows a tour guide whose life takes a personal detour, while her group gets entangled in comic situations among the ruins, with a series of unexpected stops along the way. The film was released on May 7, 2009, in Greece and on June 5, 2009, in the United States.
Gennaro "Gerry" Mendicino is a Canadian actor.
Alexander Draper Wolff is an American actor, musician, and filmmaker. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09), which was created by the boys' mother Polly Draper. Wolff and his brother released two soundtrack albums for the series, The Naked Brothers Band and I Don't Want to Go to School, which were co-produced by their father Michael Wolff. Subsequent to the conclusion of the Nickelodeon series, Wolff and his older brother formed a duo called Nat & Alex Wolff, and released the albums Black Sheep (2011) and Public Places (2016). The brothers also co-starred in their mother's comedy-drama film Stella's Last Weekend (2018).
Paul Brooks is a British-born film producer.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a 2016 American romantic comedy film directed by Kirk Jones and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez, and Elena Kampouris. It is the sequel to the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding and the second installment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise. Filming began in late May 2015 in Toronto and the film was released on March 25, 2016, by Universal Pictures, receiving negative reviews from critics. The film grossed $90.6 million worldwide against a $18 million budget. A third film, entitled My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, was released on September 8, 2023.
Elena Kampouris is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Allison Doss in the 2014 drama Men, Women & Children, Maya Decker in the NBC drama series American Odyssey, Paris Miller in the 2016 romantic comedies My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, and Juliet Sykes in the 2017 drama Before I Fall. In 2016, Kampouris made her Broadway debut in Les Liaisons Dangereuses as Cécile Volanges. She later starred in the role of Chloe Sampson in the Netflix superhero series Jupiter's Legacy.
The My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, consists of American romantic comedies, including three theatrical films, and a television series.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is a 2023 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Nia Vardalos. The third installment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, the film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Lainie Kazan, and Andrea Martin. It is the first entry not to star Michael Constantine and Bess Meisler. Filming took place in Athens, Greece, from June through August 2022.