Rita Simons
Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress, singer, and model from London, who is known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed off. For her performance on the show Simons received many accolades, including the 2008 National Television Award for Most Popular Newcomer.
Rita Wilson
Rita Wilson was born as Margarita Ibrahimoff in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Dorothea Genkos, was Greek, born and raised in Sotirë near Dropull i Sipërm in Albania, close to the border of Greece. Her father, Hassan Halilov Ibrahimoff was a Pomak (Bulgarian Muslim) born in Breshtene (Oraio), Greece, close to the border of Bulgaria. Wilson's father moved from Bulgaria to the United States in 1949. 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. Rita was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith. Her father in addition to Bulgarian could speak "Russian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, a little bit of Italian, (and) a little bit of French," according to Rita'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.