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.