Ariel Winter Workman, an American actress, was born on January 28, 1998. Modern Family on ABC earned her and her co-stars four consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series for their performance as Alex Dunphy. In addition, she voiced Penny Peterson in the 2014 animated film Mr. Peabody and Sherman and the title character in the Disney Junior series Sofia the First.

Winter landed her first job in the entertainment industry when she was four years old, in a Cool Whip advertisement. She made her television acting debut in an episode of Listen Up! and went on to appear in several other shows, including ER, Freddie, Monk, and Bones.

Before landing the role of Alex Dunphy in the 2009–2020 television series Modern Family, she voiced Gretchen in the animated children’s show Phineas and Ferb. She has continued her work in television animation by providing Marina the Mermaid’s voice for Jake and the Neverland Pirates on Disney Junior. Winter was hired in 2012 to portray Sofia, the protagonist of the forthcoming Disney animated series Sofia the First. The series debuted on Disney Junior in January 2013.

Winter has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films, including Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Speed Racer, Duress, and Opposite Day. She additionally appeared in Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred, a Halloween-themed television film. Her leading role in The Chaperone earned her a nomination for “Best Actress in a Motion Picture” at the 2012 Young Artist Awards.

Shanelle Workman, Winter’s sister, applied to be Winter’s guardian in October 2012, citing physical and psychological abuse by their mother. On May 5, 2014, the court permanently removed Winter from her mother’s custody and granted Workman guardianship. Their mother later stated in a statement that “the family has moved past the conflict.” Winter announced on Twitter that she became an adult on May 15, 2015, at the age of 17.