Biography And Career Of Maria Menounos

For many, having a brain tumor could mean the end of the world, but for Maria Menounos, there is always a better future once you can fight through it. Maria is a popular television host, actress, Journalist, and an occasional professional wrestler. The Medford, Massachusetts, native is best known for appearing as TV correspondent for The Today Show, Extra, and Access Hollywood. In addition, she joined in hosting the 51st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 which was held in Athens, Greece.

The hardworking self-described "superachiever" had worked her way into fame and even after undergoing a brain surgery, Maria bounced back to take her place in the entertainment industry. Until today, she remains one of the leading faces in various fields.

Born to her Greek parents Costas and Litsa Menounos, on June 28, 1978, Maria grew up in Medford, Massachusetts and she attended the city's High school before enrolling at Boston’s Emerson College and graduated in the year 2000. Maria holds an American nationality but she belongs to white ethnicity.

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She has a brother named Peter Menounos.

Mostly described by her colleagues as a workaholic, she has always been a busy person. In her early years, she participated in various beauty pageants and was able to win the Miss Massachusetts Teen USA title in 1996 after which she participated in Miss Teen USA and was placed in the top fifteen.

Maria Menounos started her career as a reporter for Channel One News where she interviewed notable people like the former American President George W.

Bush. After a short while, she was hired by Entertainment Tonight to report on music movies, and fashion but in 2005, she left the job to begin a career in acting.

As an actress, Maria appeared in movies and TV series like One on One, My Extra Miles, Without a Trace, Kickin' It Old Skool, and Fantastic Four to mention a few. Her voice and likeness were also used as Eva Adara in the 2005 Electronic Arts video game James Bond 007: From Russia with Love. In 2014, Maria signed a multi-year contract with the cable and satellite TV channel E! Entertainment but after about two years of service, she announced that she would be stepping down due to a brain tumor she battled with.

Aside from being an actress and a TV host, Maria is a professional wrestler. She debuted in a match with Canadian-American professional wrestler Gail Kim and the American model and wrestler Kelly Kelly against other notable wrestlers like Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox, and Rosa Mendes. She even hosted the 2014-2017 WWE Hall of Fame red carpet pre-show. Maria is also into humanitarian projects like Take Action Hollywood which she founded after traveling to South Africa to report on the effect of the AIDS crisis. The project aims at raising social awareness and improving human conditions through films.