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    Saturday, September 24, 2016

    Sofia Vegara, World’s Highest Paid Actress

    When Sofia Vergara was just 17 years old, she starred in her first commercial: A Pepsi ad in which she tip-toed across hot sand while stripping down to a string bikini in pursuit of soda. The 1990 spot aired almost exclusively in Colombia, but it established a key future revenue stream for the actress.
    Since then, the actress-cum-businesswoman has appeared in commercials for almost 24 brands, making more than $21.5m (N6.8bn) from savvy endorsements and licensing deals.
    Now for the fifth year in a row, the Colombian-American actress has topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid actresses, bringing in $43m (N13.5bn) in the past one year.
    To date, her earnings since 2011 total $157.5m (N49.6bn), an estimated 60 per cent of which comes from endorsement and licensing deals.
    “Acting was what she loved, but she knew she wasn’t going to make money on it, so her entrepreneurialism kicked in,” said Luis Balaguer, her manager and business partner for over 20 years, explaining that, at the beginning, her onscreen jobs were infrequent and paid poorly.
    Vergara began looking for a side hustle in 1997 when she relocated to the United States from Colombia, hosting shows for Univision, which earned her a mid-five-figure salary. With no hope of a raise, the single mother and Balaguer decided to cash in on her good looks with a bikini calendar.
    “The product was Sofia Vergara in a bikini,” Balaguer added, recalling how he had to beg distributors to finance the printing of the calendar. “We were both broke, didn’t have a penny.”
    But after selling close to one million copies of the $12.95 (N4,000) calendar, that quickly changed.
    “Boom! We hit it, and suddenly we were making all of this money, not from Univision, but from her fans,” Balaguer said, adding that that was when Vergara realised the real money was in appealing to fans through products and not just through television or films.

    Since then, this philosophy has guided her career, through both the bad and good times, and today she easily makes seven figures per year for endorsements that often include both televised commercials and print advertisements.

    From Colombia to America
    Born on July 10, 1972 to a Roman Catholic family in Barranquilla, Colombia, Vergara is an actress, comedian, producer, television host, model and businesswoman.
    Her mother, Margarita Vergara, was a homemaker, while her father, Julio Vergara, was a cattle rancher.
    She initially studied dentistry at a university in Colombia, but left two semesters away from her degree to pursue career in modelling and show business.
    She subsequently moved to Miami, Florida, US, leaving behind unrest in Colombia, where her elder brother, Rafael, was murdered in 1998 during an attempt to kidnap him.
    Known for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC’s “Modern Family,” which premiered in 2009, she has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards.
    Net worth and lifestyle
    Pursuing other business ventures outside of the entertainment world, the actress launched her own clothing line in 2011, as well as a fragrance and jewellery collection in 2014.
    Plus earnings from endorsements and licensing deals, Vergara has been estimated to be worth over $100m (N31.5bn).
    Last Sunday, September 18, 2016, it was one of the hottest nights on the Hollywood calendar, when the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theatre, California.
    It was a star-studded night the Colombian-born beauty would never have missed, turning every head on the red carpet in her stunning white Atelier Versace gown.
    Of course, when you’re TV’s highest paid actress, living the lifestyle of your dreams is easy to come by, which is why in 2014, the 44-year-old dropped $10.6m (N3.3bn) on a villa in the heart of Beverly Hills, California.

    The 11,400-square-foot home has seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, including a master suite with separate male and female closets and a balcony terrace. The estate grounds include a pool, spa and room for two maids to live in.
    Featuring a sprawling entryway, the home has an entertainment room with a place to screen movies and play cards.
    The kitchen-dining room opens onto an outdoor patio perfect for entertaining and there’s a wet bar in the lower level of the house, as well as a massive, 3,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room.
    Wood ceilings and chandeliers carry through all three levels of the house. A gym and a sauna are also included.
    In the backyard, there’s a lushly landscaped pool and patio and the outdoor patio has a fireplace.
    Cars and vacations
    Vergara seems to have a penchant for big Sport Utility Vehicles, especially the Range Rover. She has been seen driving herself in both a black and white Range Rover Sport, meaning she has two same type of SUV, but with different models and colour.
    It’s understandable because when it comes to luxury, the Range Rover Sport is a premium SUV from the SUV-oriented luxury brand, Land Rover. It is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 engine with a capacity to generate 375 horsepower energy and 375 pound-feet of torque.
    The key feature of the new generation Range Rover is the computer-controlled Dynamic Response suspension system which can automatically adjust body control and handling.

    The vehicle also possesses a massive intimidating appearance and is renowned for its superb performance in muddy terrain. It’s the first SUV in the world to possess an aluminium monocoque exterior finish. Notably, Vergara has customised the interiors as per her taste and opted for the suede leather upholstery package.
    Apart from the Range Rover Sport, she has also been spotted driving a black Porsche 911, a small but powerful sports car.
    When it comes to vacationing, Vergara is known for her frequent visits to exotic locations around the world, and Paris as a holiday destination is one of her favourites.
    Paris attracts close to 24 million visitors annually, and successfully provides all kind of accommodation options ranging from deluxe resorts to double bed hotel rooms, according to the need of the tourists.
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