Stealing the Show: Latina Mom Portrayals on TV

Ah fall, the best season of all. The air is turning crisp, the leaves are about to change, pumpkin lattes are back, and TV is good again. This week, three of the season’s biggest shows have made their return—Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives—starring TVs most recognizable mamis Sofia Vergara, Sara Ramirez, and Eva Longoria, all on ABC.

While each of these actresses plays a Latina mom who approaches motherhood and womanhood from different angles, they all bring that recognizable element to their roles as TV mothers—unconditional love and utter devotion.

Here is a look at our favorite mamis in real and reel life:

THE SASSY, SMOTHERING SEXPOT
Sofia Vergara, as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on Modern Family
Premiere Date: Wednesday, September 21, 9pm EST on ABC

In reel life:

Bio: Gloria Delgado-Pritchett may be one of the funniest characters on TV today. And the most gorgeous. The feisty Colombiana is married to a much older man, Jay Pritchett. She is the doting (smothering?) mother to Manny, her son from a previous relationship. Manny is very mature, romantic, and not the least bit self-conscious. Gloria encourages Manny to be sensitive and honor his cultural background, once encouraging him to go to school in a traditional poncho. Jay usually tries to step in when he thinks it necessary and the cultural clash begins—the ensuing conversations and fights are always hysterical. The dispute often turns into very heartwarming lessons. She has a very thick accent, often mispronounces English words (Baby Jesus becomes Baby Cheeses), and breaks into Spanish when extremely upset or passionate. As a stereotypical and typical Latina, Gloria would kill for her family. Literally.

Quotable Gloria: “The leading cause of death among Colombian women is when their sons get married.”

In real life:

Bio: Sofia was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. She grew up in a large family of six kids. She was discovered by a photographer on a beach in Colombia and made her first appearance in a Latin American Pepsi commercial at age 17. She married her childhood sweetheart when she was 18 and gave birth to a son, Monalo Gonzalez-Ripoli Vergara in 1992, at the age of 20. She soon divorced her husband and decided to study pre-dentistry. But when show business came knocking on her door once again, she dropped out of dental school two semesters short of graduation. She moved to Miami to pursue acting and escape the unrest in Colombia. She brought her son, mother, and sister with her.

She recently earned an Emmy nod for her role as Gloria Delgado and is one of the most sought after and recognizable Latina actresses today. It seems that the gamble to drop out of dental school paid off. Though she would have probably made a pretty fine dentist too.

Quotable Sofia: On her son going to college, “I joke that I want him to fail this year so he can stay home another year. He looks at me like, ‘You’re a freak.’”

THE SMARTY PANTS
Sara Ramirez, as Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy
Premiere Date: Thursday, September 22, on ABC

In reel life:

Bio: Callie was born into a wealthy family from South Florida. She is a strong-willed and highly competent surgeon. In the first seasons of the show, she dated men and even married her best friend George. However, at the end of the last season it was revealed that she is a lesbian, but also that she is pregnant, the result of a one-night stand with Doctor Mark Sloan. The drama! When she comes out to her family, they cut her off financially and emotionally. At the end of the last season, she gave birth to a baby girl, Sofia, and married her lesbian lover, Arizona.

Quotable Callie: Freaking out a bit about becoming a mother: “They scream. They’re grimey. They smell like poop. And the house smells like poop.” (Don’t worry, she comes around).

In real life:

Bio: Sara was born in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, a resort town on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. When she was 8, she moved to San Diego with her mother, who was a talented singer and actress. Sara credits her mother for fueling her interest in acting. She attended the San Diego School of Creative and Performing arts and then went on to Juilliard. She was a critically acclaimed and lauded Broadway actress before becoming a critically acclaimed and loved TV actress.

She is recently engaged to her fiance, Ryan Debolt…and is now fielding the “so when are you going to have a baby” questions with grace and agility.

Quotable Sara: When asked if she is going to have kids anytime soon, she responded, “The clock’s ticking, and I totally hear it!”

THE TOUGH COOKIE
Eva Longoria, as Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives
Premiere Date: Sunday, September 25, 9pm EST on ABC

In reel life:

Bio: When we first met Gabrielle Solis in the pilot episode of Desperate Housewives, she was fiery and funny, but she didn’t appear to have a maternal bone in her body. Her attention was focused on a red hot affair with her very hot gardener and the superficial matters of shoes and shopping. But when the show jumped ahead five years in Season 5, we discovered another side of Gaby. She returned as the mother of two girls, Juanita and Celia. And while she went through a bit of an adjustment period, motherhood suits her. She even took in her husband’s teenage niece, Ana. She is surprisingly warm and tough. But still very fiery and funny.

Quotable Gaby: “You’re either going as a dog or a little Mexican girl. And in this neighborhood, we both know which one’s getting more candy!”

In real life:

Bio: The Mexican-American actress was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is the youngest of four daughters and her parents struggled to give Longoria and her sisters a decent upbringing. Today, the actress is one of the top earning women in entertainment, with a hit TV show, two thriving Tex-Mex restaurants, and a cookbook titled Eva’s Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends.

She is recently divorced from NBA star Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, but remains open about her love of family and her desire to have children.

Quotable Eva: Never one to mince words, Longoria told Rachael Ray in an April 2011 interview, “I want to have kids and be a mom.”

Note: These three silver screen mamis are not the only ones doing us proud. Here are 10 more shows starring our Latina sisters: (All times are EST.)