On television, she played Susan Borman, wife of astronaut Frank Borman, in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. She has appeared in numerous films, including Volunteers, Barbarians at the Gate, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Mixed Nuts, Sleepless in Seattle, Now and Then, That Thing You Do!, Jingle All the Way, Runaway Bride, Invisible Child, The Story of Us, Raise Your Voice, It's Complicated, and Larry Crowne. In the 1980s, Wilson attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England. She also twice appeared on M*A*S*H in 1982 as Nurse Lacey as well as the sitcoms Three's Company and Bosom Buddies starring her future husband Tom Hanks, and as Hester Rose Crane, the deceased mother of Frasier Crane on Frasier. Wilson's career began with a guest appearance on The Brady Bunch in the 1972 episode 'Greg's Triangle,' where she played Pat Conway, one of the candidates running against Marcia Brady for head cheerleader.

Wilson at the HBO Post- 60th Primetime Emmy Awards Party in 2008 Film, television, theater In addition to Bulgarian, her father could speak 'Russian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, a little bit of Italian, a little bit of French' according to Wilson'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. Wilson was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith. The family lived in Los Angeles, where Wilson's father worked as a bartender. He converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity upon his marriage and changed his name to Allan Wilson in 1960, choosing his name after a local street. He moved from Bulgaria to the US in 1949. Her father's family moved to Bulgaria when he was a child. Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff ( Bulgarian: Хасан Халилов Ибрахимов 1920–2009), was a Bulgarian Muslim ( Pomak) born in Oraio (Breshtene), Greece, close to the border with Bulgaria. Her mother, Dorothea Tzigkou ( Greek: Δωροθέα Τζίγκου), was Greek, raised in Sotirë near Dropull i Sipërm in Albania, close to the border with Greece. Rita Wilson was born Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles where she grew up.

In March 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a singer-songwriter, Wilson has released the albums AM/FM, Rita Wilson, Bigger Picture, and Halfway to Home. Wilson has performed on Broadway and produced several films, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Her film appearances include Volunteers (1985), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Now and Then (1995), That Thing You Do! (1996), Jingle All the Way (1996), The Story of Us (1999), Runaway Bride (1999), It's Complicated (2009), and Larry Crowne (2011), and she appeared in the television series The Good Wife and Girls. Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer.

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