• Wendy Moniz is an American actress known for her role in the radio and TV soap opera “Guiding Light”
• She was born in Kansas City, Missouri and graduated from Siena College in New York with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre
• She married Frank Grillo in 2000 and they have two sons together
• Wendy is physically active and is a supporter of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization
• Frank Grillo is an American actor known for his roles in the dystopian action horror movie “The Purge: Anarchy”, “Minority Report”, and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”



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Who is Wendy Moniz Grillo, Frank Grillo’s wife?

Wendy Moniz was born in Kansas City, Missouri USA, on 19 January 1969 – her zodiac sign is Capricorn and she holds American nationality. She is an actress who is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Dinah Marler in the radio and TV soap opera” Guiding Light”, which starred Kim Zimmer, Beth Chamberlin and Maureen Garrett, and is about the middle-class Bauer family living in the city of Springfield. The series aired from 1952 to 2009 and was a huge success, winning 106 awards while it was nominated for 450 others. For her performance, Wendy was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Newcomer in 1996, as well as for a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress in 1997.

Childhood and education

Wendy was raised an only child in Kansas City by her Irish father who was a truck driver, and her Portuguese mother who worked as a cleaning lady.

She became interested in acting while attending BMC Durfee High School, and started appearing in school plays – she was also physically active as she played soccer and badminton. Upon matriculation in 1987, she enrolled at the Siena College in New York, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre in 1991.

Career as an actress

Wendy has been credited with appearing in 17 TV series and three movies – she made her debut film appearance in 1999, when she portrayed one of the lead characters Janine in the biographical drama “Tuesdays with Morrie”, also starring Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria, and which is about a journalist who is being advised by his dying friend on love and career.

The movie was a hit as it won 12 awards and was nominated for 11 others. Wendy’s second film appearance was in the drama “The Grief of Others” starring as Ricky Ryrie, and which is closely based on the eponymous novel written by Leah Hager Cohen. Her latest role in a film was in 2017, when she portrayed Jessica in the action crime thriller “Wheelman”, written and directed by Jeremy Rush, and which starred her husband Frank Grillo and Caitlin Carmichael.

After becoming popular for her role in “Guiding Light”, Wendy was invited to star in the drama series “Partners” in 1999, but which was cancelled after airing only five episodes. In the following year she guest starred in the episodes “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” and “Pilot” of the comedy crime series “Battery Park”.

After appearing in a single episode of the drama horror mystery “The Others”, Wendy was invited to star as Inspector Rachel McCabe in 22 episodes of the action crime series “Nash Bridges”, which also starred Don Johnson. In 2001, she began portraying the lead character Louisa ‘Lulu’ Archer in the critically acclaimed crime series “The Guardian”, which also starred Simon Baker and Alan Rosenberg, and is about a lawyer working for his father’s successful law firm in Pittsburgh – the series won six awards and was nominated for 10 others including one Golden Globe.

A few of Wendy’s following appearances in TV series were in a single episode of the crime drama mystery “Law & Order” in 2005, four episodes of the comedy drama “Big Shots” in 2007, and seven episodes of the crime drama mystery “Damages” in 2009.

She was invited to guest star as Mayor Kathleen Finn in four episodes of the award-winning romantic drama “One Life To Live”, which is one of the longest-airing series as it was shown from 1968 to 2013. In 2012, Wendy stared in the episode “Hero Complex” of the fantasy mystery series “666 Park Avenue”, and in 2013 she appeared in all 13 episodes of the drama series “Betrayal”, also starring Hannah Ware and Henry Thomas, and which is about Sara who is a married photographer and who starts an affair with the lawyer Jack.

Three of Wendy’s most recent roles in TV series have been in four episodes the drama “Pure Genius” in which she played Julianna Wallace in 2016, as Laura Moretti in seven episodes of the award-winning drama “House of Cards” in 2017, and between 2018 and 2020, Wendy starred as Governor Perry in the drama western “Yellowstone”, which also starred Kevin Costner and Kelly Reilly.

Love life and marriage with Frank

Wendy met her first husband, David Birsner while the two were still attending college, and they agreed they would marry as soon as they had obtained their degrees – the ceremony was private and only several of their closest friends and family attended. After being together for five years, Wendy and David quietly divorced, and she then started seeing Frank Grillo who starred alongside her in “Guiding Light” – it is believed that Wendy divorced David because she fell in love with Frank.

In October 2000, Wendy and Frank married in a large ceremony, and on 13 June 2004 Wendy gave birth to their son Liam Kiki – on 25 January 2008, their second son Rio Joseph was born. Just recently in February 2020, Wendy and Frank separated and she filed for divorce in Los Angeles.

As of September 2020, Wendy is married but currently going through a divorce, and she has two sons.

Hobbies and other interests

Wendy is physically very active as it’s required of her to stay in shape and fit for her roles – she has two to three training sessions at the gym each week, and is also following a strict diet. She doesn’t eat meat and is a supporter of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization, helping save endangered species from extinction by raising awareness and donating money.

Wendy is keen on travelling and her acting career has taken her all around the US, while she has also been to several European countries such as Switzerland, England and Italy.

Governor 😍

— Blank pages (@rosantweets) August 23, 2020

She has her own favorite actors and actresses, some of whom are Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts, and a few of her favorite movies are “Catch Me If You Can”, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Good Will Hunting”. Wendy is also a fan of sitcoms, and her favorite is “The 3rd Rock from the Sun”.

Age and height

Wendy is 51 years old. She has long black hair and brown eyes, her height is 5ft 5ins (1.65m) and she weighs around 120lbs (55kgs). As of September 2020, her net worth has been estimated at over $3 million, while Frank’s net worth is reputedly over $3 million as well.

Who is Frank Grillo?

Frank Anthony Grillo was born in New York City, USA, on 8 June 1965 – his zodiac sign is Gemini and he holds American nationality.

He is an actor who is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the main character Sergeant Leo Barnes in the dystopian action horror movie “The Purge: Anarchy”, written and directed by James DeMonaco, and which also starred Carmen Ejogo and Zach Gilford. The story follows three groups of friends who are left on their own during a purge night.

Frank was raised alongside his two brothers by their Italian parents who moved to the US not long before he was born. He grew up  concentrating on his education, and obtained his Business degree from New York University in 1987 – he went on to work on Wall Street, before being noticed by a scout who asked him if he would like to appear in a commercial for Miller Genuine Draft Beer.

Frenk went on to appear in numerous commercials for companies such as Sure and American Express , befoprein 1992 being cast in his first movie “The Mambo Kings”. He appeared in only two more movies in the ‘90s, before being praised for his performance in the science fiction action movie “Minority Report” in 2002. His first role in a horror movie came in 2010, when he portrayed Daniel Sohapi in “Mother’s Day”. In 2012, Frank met Liam Neeson, as the two starred together in the survival movie “The Grey” – in the same year, he starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the action thriller film “End of Watch”.

One can say that Frank became popular in the US after he portrayed Brock Rumlow, a HYDRA agent, in the superhero movie “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, which starred Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, and is about Captain America and Black Widow who are fighting the Winter Soldier – the movie was a hit, winning five awards and being nominated for 51 others including an Oscar.

Frank has recently been cast to appear in five upcoming movies, such as the drama “This Is the Night”, the crime drama “Body Brokers”, and the western “No Man’s Land”.

When it comes to TV series, besides his role in “Guiding Light” Frank is also known for his portrayal of Nick Savrinn in the award-winning serial drama “Prison Break” and as Martin Russo in the crime drama “Blind Justice” both in 2005, and the lead character Alvey Kulina in the drama “Kingdom” in 2017.

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Source: IMDb, Wikipedia