Ariel Winter (born January 28, 1998) is an American actress, voice actress, singer, songwriter and model. She is best known as Alex Dunphy in the TV series Modern Family, as well as the voice of the title character in the Disney Junior show Sofia the First. Winter and her Modern Family cast mates have won four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Early life[]
Winter was born in Fairfax, Virginia, the daughter of Chrisoula "Chrystal" (née Batistas) and Glenn Workman. She is sister to actress Shanelle Workman and actor Jimmy Workman. Her mother's family is Greek.
Career[]
Winter obtained her first entertainment industry job in a Cool Whip commercial at age six. She had her first television role at age 7, in an episode of Listen Up!, and followed it with appearances in a variety of shows such as Tickle U,Freddie, Monk, Bones, and ER. In the animated children's show Phineas and Ferb, she voiced the character of Gretchen before winning the regular role of Alex Dunphy in the series Modern Family, which premiered in 2009. She has continued to work in TV animation, including providing the voice of Marina the Mermaid on Disney Junior's Jake and the Never Land Pirates. In 2012, Winter was cast as Sofia, the lead character in a then-new Disney animated franchise Sofia the First. The series premiered in January 2013 on Disney Junior. She also lent her voice to characters in the animated films, Disney'sBambi II and Blue Sky's Ice Age: The Meltdown.
Winter has appeared in feature films, most notably in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and also in Speed Racer, Duress, Opposite Day, and Fred 2. For her leading role in the filmThe Chaperone, she was nominated at the Young Artist Awards 2012 as Best Actress in a Motion Picture.
Personal life[]
In October 2012, her sister Shanelle Workman-Gray filed to become guardian of Winter alleging physical and emotional abuse. On May 5, 2014, the court ordered permanent guardianship to Gray and removed Winter from her mother's guardianship permanently. Gray and Winter's mother later released a statement stating "The family has moved beyond the conflict."