40 Stunning Vintage Photos of Sofia Vergara

Sofía Margarita Vergara has always been a beautiful woman. In this gorgeous vintage picture, the actress was only 19 years old and was tying the knot with her boyfriend.

Vergara is aware that 19 is a young age to get hitched, and has explained the cultural differences in Colombia. She said, “I had a son and got married very young in my life, like in Latin America, that used to be common 20 years ago. Of course, now is different.”

Sofia Vergara grew up in a Roman Catholic household and is used to being part of a large Latin family. Vergara’s mother, Margarita Vergara de Vergara, worked in the home while her father, Julio Enrique Vergara Robayo, was a successful cattle rancher. The Modern Family actress has five siblings and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Vergara has said that having a large family has its drawbacks, “But when bad things happen, they will be there to support you.”

This vintage snap shows us a much younger Vergara, before she had hit the big time. Though it would be many years until she graced screens all over the world, the young Sofia was already turning heads in the modeling world. Initially, the devout Vergara didn’t want to work as a model as she thought it conflicted with her Catholic upbringing and education.

However, her mom talked her into appearing in an advertisement for Pepsi in 1989. It was a huge hit.

Sofia Vergara has moved various times in her life, many times for her and her family’s protection. Violence in Colombia was escalating at this time, and the Vergara family attracted attention in their hometown of Barranquilla. Because of this, the young Vergara left Barranquilla for Bogota, hoping to find work, and keep her son safe.

Once she arrived in Bogota, the young model was offered work as an actress. She starred in a Mexican telenovela, which led to more work.

The Vergara family were well off in Colombia, and the children attended private school. Sofia went to the Marymount International School in Barranquilla, which was a private bilingual Spanish and English school. Impressively, the actress also speaks French.

Vergara was nicknamed “Toti” or “La Toti” by her siblings, family, and friends. The nickname doesn’t actually mean anything in Spanish, but was used as a riff on Sofia’s actual name. As a child, La Toti enjoyed riding horses and swimming.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Vergara is that she almost became a dentist. Imagine arriving for your check-up and being met with the stunning, multilingual Sofia Vergara. Somehow we can’t imagine her replacing our veneer.

But, it’s true! The actress was almost finished her dental studies when she dropped out to pursue work opportunities. She said, “You have to decide every day, ‘Do I go to class or do I make money?’ Your priorities start changing.”

Amazingly, the Colombian actress has also overcome serious illness. In 2000, a doctor discovered a lump in Vergara’s neck, leading to a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Thankfully, Vergara survived the illness, following surgery and radiation therapy. Now, she takes daily medication and works to help other people with the illness.

Vergara set up a foundation in her home country of Colombia to help other cancer patients. Speaking about the illness, she said, “When they tell you that you have cancer, you panic.”

How adorable is the young Sofia Vergara in this picture? Here, the actress is looking like una estrella — a star — complete with white tights, a navy performance dress, and a red-trimmed hat. People have often inquired about the actress’s strong Hispanic accent when she speaks English, with some even suggesting that it’s fake.

In response, Vergara explains, “ I understand English; I read and write English perfectly, but the accent won’t go away.” Personally, Sofia, we love it!

In this gorgeous vintage picture, Sofia Vergara looks like supermodels Claudia Schiffer or Doutzen Kroes. With her hair teased and a chic little black dress, it’s no wonder the actress ended up becoming hugely famous all over the world.

After living and working in the US for so many years, Vergara announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she had officially become an American citizen. In fact, she scored 100% on her test! She told Kimmel, “You know what? It’s a very emotional moment for me.”

Sofia Vergara worked in Mexican telenovelas when she was first developing her career. Despite having a reputation for being not particularly bright — thanks to her Modern Family character Gloria — Vergara is a well-educated and intelligent woman.

Speaking about her “passion” for reading, the actress said, “Getting lost in a book is one of my favorite things […] you should read my favorite book of all time One Hundred Years Of Solitude, which happens to be by a Colombian author, Gabriel García Márquez.”

Of all of our vintage pictures of the talented Sofia Vergara, this is the oldest one. Here we can see the actress’s naturally blonde hair, along with her cheeky face and adorable outfit. Who would have thought that this little munchkin would go on to achieve such great things?

Vergara was given the keys to tropical Colombian city Cartagena in 2016, saying, “’I was delighted — it was so humbling. I love the city, so to be given the keys was incredible.”

Many people assume that Sofia Vergara has naturally dark hair, but the opposite is true. The actress ended up darkening her naturally light locks so that she would be cast in more roles.

She explains, “I’m a natural blonde. But when I started acting, I would go to auditions and they didn’t know where to put me because I was voluptuous and had the accent, but I had blonde hair. It was ignorance — they thought every Latin person looks like Salma Hayek.”

Sofia has said that “The moment I put my hair dark, it was better for my work.” And indeed, the actress started to rack up roles. Vergara transitioned into film once she had lived and worked in the US for some time, making her debut in 2002’s crime comedy Big Trouble.

The following year, the actress starred in comedy Chasing Papi, and over the next few years she starred in two Tyler Perry movies including Meet the Browns and Madea Goes to Jail.

Of course, like many people that leave their home countries, Vergara is obsessed with the food of where she grew up, even saying that “I’m obsessed with food!” Interestingly, the actress doesn’t eat meat in the US, as she claims it tastes different than it does in Colombia.

When she returns home, Sofia says that she is “always desperate for sancocho,” a traditional soup made with meat and a variety of South American veggies including yucca, corn, and plantain. Delicioso!

Sofia Vergara became a mother when she was young, and her son is actually called Manolo – just like her fictional son on Modern Family. Speaking about being a young mom, the actress has said, “When you have a kid, you have to be more mature.”

Of course, Vergara had to juggle working and caring for her young son. She said, “I do like all working moms do. No life is perfect. What I do, it’s part of life.”

Sofia attended a bilingual private school in her hometown of Barranquilla, but she didn’t have the best time there. Surprisingly, the young Vergara was teased and mocked for her body shape. Ironically, Vergara was considered too skinny by her peers because Colombian society values curves and shapely figures over thinness.

The actress remembers, “I was ridiculously skinny. They called me palillo, which means toothpick in Spanish.” Frustratingly, when she became curvier, she was also teased for having curves and a small frame.

Prom isn’t that much of a big deal in countries outside of the US. It’s still a fun activity, but it’s not completely central to the high school experience. In Colombia, that would be the Quinceañera. Regardless, in this adorable vintage photo, we can see Sofia Vergara and her friends posing before their prom.

Check out those dresses! Three of the ladies are in white, with various degrees of ruffles and necklines. And the other two are in red and blush pink. Looking lovely, señoritas!

Despite the questionable fashions of the 1980s, Sofia Vergara looks positively adorable posing for this teenage picture. Who would have thought that this semi-awkward young girl would go on to appear on Forbes’ World’s Most Powerful Women list?

Amusingly, Vergara has actually ranked higher than Queen Elizabeth II in previous versions of the list. She said, “Queen Elizabeth! It’s fun, it’s all part of this adventure I have been lucky to be living since I hit Modern Family.”

It’s hard to deny that Sofia Vergara is a beautiful woman. This hasn’t been lost on her, as she says that women regularly ask her about her fashion and beauty choices.

She recalls, “I was a TV host in a Latin network, and from there, I learned that women were very attracted to whatever I was doing. They were not afraid to ask me: What color is your hair? What lipstick are you wearing? They were always very interested and I thought, there’s something here.”

Excitingly, Vergara starred in her first big-screen leading role in 2015’s Hot Pursuit. The actress played a mob wife alongside Reese Witherspoon as an uptight police officer. Witherspoon admitted that Vergara’s beauty was intimidating, saying, “Yes and I have to stand next to that […] who is gorgeous. All make-up, with her hair blowing in the wind.”

Even Witherspoon’s children were taken aback by Vergara — “When Tennessee met Sofia, he was like, oh my God, she was so pretty, he ran and hid.”

Hilariously, Sofia Vergara got glammed up to welcome her son into the world. She explains, “If I walk outside without lipstick, I feel naked […] all the women in my family are that way. We put make-up on to give birth! When I started feeling contractions with my son, the first thing I did was wash and blow-dry my hair before I went to the hospital.

After all, she concluded, “You never know how long you’ll be in labor.”

Sofia Vergara was first discovered as a teenager when she was walking along a Colombian beach. A photographer approached her and asked if she would have her pictures taken, but she felt that it contradicted her Catholic upbringing. In fact, she was specifically worried that the nuns at her Catholic school would be mad.

In the end, Vergara’s mother convinced her, and her schoolteachers gave her personal permission. At age 17, Sofia Vergara made her first appearance in a Pepsi commercial.

The world first came to know the talented and beautiful Sofia Vergara on the US mockumentary, Modern Family. The show followed different segments of a large family, and Vergara played the outspoken and glamorous Gloria Delgado-Pritchett.

Gloria was married to older man Jay (played by Ed O’Neill), also hailed from Colombia, had a strong Hispanic accent, and had a beloved son called Manny that she had in her youth. In the role, Vergara picked up hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world.

Vergara’s international fame with Modern Family came when she was in her 30’s. Before then, she had to work hard to support her young son.

She told Dujour magazine, “When you’re single and you have a kid, you worry. You worry every day, you wake up and if you don’t have enough money to pay for his medical insurance, for his food, for someone to help with him while you work, a nanny.” She adds, “That drove me to never be lazy.”

With her sultry dark hair, Vergara looks like another famous brunette – the gorgeous Sofia Loren. In fact, with her curves and stunning beauty, Vergara also channels Latina bombshell Raquel Welch. Ever the siren, Vergara admits, “If I walk outside without lipstick, I feel naked.”

The actress claims that she wasn’t aware of her glamorousness until she moved to the US, because in Latin America, “You are always in high heels and make-up. It’s just our day-to-day thing.”

Of course, when she landed in Hollywood, Sofia Vergara turned a lot of heads. After all, wouldn’t you look twice at this Latina beauty who almost became a dentist? Apparently, one of the men interested in Ms. Vergara at this time was movie star Tom Cruise himself.

Apparently, the Mission Impossible star pursued Vergara and set up playdates between his kids and Manolo. However, the pair disagreed on something very important. Sofia’s Catholicism and Tom’s Scientology just couldn’t co-exist.

One of the most satisfying things about Sofia Vergara’s career trajectory is where she ended up financially. Yes, we know she became globally adored because of her portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family, but she also ended up taking home megabucks.

In 2012, 2013, and 2016, the Colombian actress was the highest-paid actress on American television. Furthermore, by the end of 2019, Vergara was the second-highest-paid TV actress in the world. Now, that’s seriously impressive.

In this vintage picture of a teenage Sofia at her first wedding, the actress looks like a star of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Yes, her makeup may be a little different than what we would do today, but no amount of orange eyeshadow could make this bombshell look anything other than stunning.

Despite her huge success as an actress, Vergara didn’t actually receive any formal training in acting. She says that she treats “whatever I do like school, because I’m learning.”

In her early modeling photos, Sofia Vergara still has her natural blonde locks. She looks stunning in this floral bathing suit, with red lips to match the bright colors in her outfit.

Many years after these early pictures were taken, Vergara went on to feature in several Hollywood movies. She played Odile Anjelou, an executive at Anjelou Cosmetics in The Smurfs, voiced penguin Carmen in Happy Feet Two, and voiced the flamenco dancer emoji in The Emoji Movie.

Of course, despite her roles in various movies, people tend to think of Sofia Vergara as a TV actress. After all, that’s where hundreds of thousands of people fell in love with her.

When asked what she would do now that Modern Family has ended, she said, “I know that the odds of me finding another Modern Family are going to be very small so I think it’s better for me to focus on doing more movies when I’m done.”

Vergara has often been typecast throughout her career, with some accusing her of perpetuating stereotypes about Latinas. In 2017, the actress appeared in the comedy The Female Brain, where she got to work alongside a female director and co-writer — comedian Whitney Cummings.

Vergara remembers enjoying the script, and told Dujour magazine, “My main thing was no matter what the role was, I was going to do it because I thought it was a great project done by a woman.”

Sadly, Sofia Vergara has dealt with a lot of family tragedy throughout her life. She had to leave her hometown of Barranquilla when she was younger because of increasing conflict in the area. Tragically, her older brother Rafael passed away because of an attempted kidnapping. Because of this, Vergara emigrated with her son to the US.

Years later, her younger brother Julio was sent back to Colombia from the USA because of addiction and various run-ins with the law.

In this gorgeous vintage snap, we can see a young Sofia Vergara relaxing on a sunny Colombian beach. Vergara was already a mother at this point, and has remained very close to her son. Hilariously, Manolo started his own YouTube series called Vida con Toty, following his life with his famous mom.

The YouTube series showed behind the scenes footage of the making of Modern Family, as well as hilarious clips of Vergara — or Toty — in her day to day life.

Interestingly, Sofia Vergara isn’t the only celebrity that grew up in the Colombian city of Baranquilla. In fact, she isn’t even the only naturally blonde Latina celebrity that grew up in the Colombian city of Baranquilla. That’s right – Sofia Vergara and Shakira both hail from the same place. Seriously, there must be something in the water.

Looking back on her days of youth, Vergara remembers, “You know, I was the class clown in Catholic school, but I never thought I would make a living out of it!”

With her natural blonde hair, Sophia Vergara is just as gorgeous as she is with brunette locks. Whilst people may think that her beauty would get the actress her choice of roles, that certainly wasn’t always the case. In fact, Vergara has always been very grateful for roles, because she isn’t a trained actress.

She has said, “I’ve never had an acting class in my life. I always feel very honored to have a director or my agents call me to offer me a part.”

As well as having huge success in the entertainment world, Sofia Vergara has also done multiple endorsement deals. In 2011, she was the face of beauty company CoverGirl, designed her own clothing line for Kmart, and appeared in commercials for State Farm and Comcast Xfinity.

The actress even returned to her first-ever job by doing several more commercials with Pepsi. In one of the ads, she appeared alongside footballer David Beckham. Vergara confirmed that she asked for more money this time around.

For her role as the iconic Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in sitcom Modern Family, Sofia Vergara has been nominated for many awards. Thanks to her stellar performance, the actress has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards. Frustratingly, the only award she took home was the 2017 People’s Choice Award.

Of course, we fully endorse Vergara winning the People’s Choice Award, but someone give the woman an Emmy or two! Seriously, Gloria deserves it!

When Sofia Vergara left Colombia for the US, she landed in Miami, Florida, which has a large Hispanic population. She got a job on Telemundo’s Fuera de Serie, which was an entertainment series that saw Vergara travel the world with co-host Fernando Fiore.

In this vintage image, Vergara looks like she’s taking part in a parade or procession. Perhaps for this episode, the Colombian native returned to her home country for The Carnival of Barranquilla, which has four days of festivities.

Through her work on Fuera de Series, Vergara became a 1990s television personality for the Spanish speaking community. She also worked on Univision’s variety show, A Que No Te Atreves, meaning “You Don’t Dare.” In this show, guests were given wacky dares to complete in public. Why were the late ’90s like this?

Vergara also made a short appearance on the 1995 American Comedy Awards, which brought her to the attention of English speaking audiences in the US.

Obviously, Sofia Vergara was made to be on television — whether for her humor, her beauty, or her acting skills. The actress has impressively built a career in a country she wasn’t raised in, and even ended up becoming the highest-paid actress on television!

In 2020, it was announced that the actress would be joining the judging panel on the hit show America’s Got Talent. She has commented that she’s nervous about judging other people, but we trust that she’ll know exactly what to say.