Sofia Vergara Called Highest-Paid Actress on Television

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ABC News' Hana Karar reports:

Who's the top-paid actress on television?

Sofia Vergara is, according to Forbes magazine, which today reported that the actress earned $19 million last year.

The Colombian-born beauty, 40, stars in ABC's hit sitcom, "Modern Family." But she does much more than play Latin mother Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on TV.

PHOTOS: Sofia Vergara Through the Years

Vergara is a cover girl and a businesswoman who owns her own production company.

She also has a clothing line at Kmart, and has snagged multiple endorsement deals - in English and Spanish - for Burger King, Pepsi and other companies.

"If we really want to talk about Sofia Vergara, we're talking about Sofia Incorporated. She's earning more than $12 million in endorsement deals alone," Forbes staff writer Meghan Casserly said.

Vergara's looks and Latin flair have made her a hot commodity for advertisers who want to appeal to a rapidly growing demographic.

"The Hispanic market in the U.S. is estimated to be something over $1 trillion in consumer spending," the Forbes representative said. "Sofia Vergara is the Hispanic crossover star that I feel like the U.S. has been waiting for."

Vergara's road to fame has been a long one. She married young, had her son, Manolo, when she was 18, and was divorced two years later.

Being a single mother kept her grounded, the Emmy-winning actress told Forbes.

"Having Manolo made me always, like, not go crazy with the fame or anything," Vergara told ABC News' Cynthia McFadden in an interview last year. "I was always more concerned about being a good mother and working to make money, not just, you know, to be famous and crazy."