Here’s a quick guide to the cast and characters of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nia Vardalos’ screenwriting debut My Big Fat Greek Wedding started life as a one-woman play the actress based on her own life and performed at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Los Angeles. After the play caught the eye of Hollywood power couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, their production company Playtone agreed to co-finance a big-screen version of the show, which was released in 2002 and went on to rank as the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding follows a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with and – as the movie’s title suggests – eventually marries the man of her dreams Ian. It isn’t all plain sailing for the loved-up couple, however, as the bride's traditional, often overbearing but ultimately well-meaning family don’t approve of her relationship with the non-Greek Ian.
Thanks to the movie’s success, it spawned a short-lived TV series titled My Big Fat Greek Life that aired for one season on CBS in 2003 and a 2016 sequel aptly titled My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2. Although the sequel wasn’t as successful, Vardalos has hinted at the possibility of a third film in the budding rom-com franchise. Until that happens, here’s a recap of My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s cast and the characters they play.
Nia Vardalos – Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos
Nia Vardalos is the star and writer behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding. She plays Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos, a 30-year-old first-generation Greek-American woman whose loving but loud and meddling family aren’t too happy about her relationship with her non-Greek partner Ian.
John Corbett – Ian Miller
John Corbett of Sex And The City fame plays Toula’s boyfriend and eventual fiancé Ian Miller. Toula’s close-knit family aren’t too taken with the fact that Ian isn’t Greek and him being a vegetarian doesn’t help either.
Michael Constantine – Costas "Gus" Portokalos
A proud Greek immigrant, Toula’s father Gus expects his daughter to marry a good Greek Orthodox man and stay working in the family business, a Greek restaurant he owns. He’s played by Michael Constantine, best known for his role in the 1970s sitcom Room 222.
Lainie Kazan – Maria Portokalos
Toula’s mother Maria is somewhat more open-minded than her husband Gus and eventually persuades him to accept Ian. Maria is played by Lainie Kazan who’s also had recurring roles in shows including The Nanny and Desperate Housewives.
Andrea Martin – Aunt Voula
Rounding out the main cast of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is Difficult People star Andrea Martin who gives a hilarious turn as Toula’s quirky and oversharing maternal aunt Voula.