Whatever Happened To Bridgette Wilson-Sampras?

For the past decade-plus, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras has been focusing on her family. The wife of tennis great Pete Sampras and mother of their two children, she made the conscious decision to step away from the spotlight in recent years, putting a thriving Hollywood career behind her. 

Her big break came way back in 1990, when she was crowned Miss Teen USA. That led her to Hollywood, and in 1992, she landed a juicy role in soap opera "Santa Barbara," playing spoiled and manipulative Lisa Fenimore. That led to movies, including roles in "Last Action Hero" and the drama "Higher Learning." In 1995, she landed her biggest role to date, as a love interest to the title character in big-screen comedy "Billy Madison," in which funnyman Adam Sandler plays a guy forced to repeat every grade in elementary school in order to prove to his father that he's not a complete nincompoop. That led to what is arguably her best-known role, as Sonya Blade in "Mortal Kombat," the 1995 hit based on the popular video game, and then starring opposite the stunning Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner."

After becoming a mom, Wilson-Sampras slowed down her career and ultimately slammed the brakes on it completely, opting to spend more time with her children than on the big screen. But just because she's been keeping a low profile doesn't mean she hasn't been leading a busy, productive life. To discover more, read on to find out whatever happened to Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.

Even the biggest fans of Bridgette Wilson-Sampras may not realize that she's also a talented singer. As a vocalist, she's appeared on the soundtracks of two of her movies, singing in both "Billy Madison," and 2000's "Beautiful." In fact, she's experienced a brief but successful career as a pop star — albeit only in Japan. In a 1990s-era interview with Cinefantastique magazine (via Talent Development Resources), Wilson-Sampras revealed that she'd landed a record deal in Japan, which led her into a recording studio. "I love music, so that's a fun thing for me," she said.

She ultimately released two CDs that are available only in Japan: "I Only Wanna Be With You" in 1995 and "Gimme a Kiss" in 1996. Her first album yielded a hit single, her cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron," originally recorded by girl group the Crystals. Her second album featured the single "I Was Made for Dancin'," originally recorded by Leif Garrett. At the time, she was hopeful that she'd be able to replicate the musical success she was experiencing in Japan in her own country.  "I'd love the opportunity to develop that more over here, or even to play the role of a singer, to put the two together in a film," she said. "Something with music I'd definitely love."

It's fair to say that the life of Bridgette Wilson-Sampras changed irrevocably when she met her future husband, Pete Sampras. Just 19 when he won the US Open men's singles event in 1990 — the youngest person to ever hold that title — he went on to become one of the greatest tennis players the sport had ever seen. 

That meeting occurred after a screening of her 1999 movie, "Love Stinks." In his 2008 memoir, "A Champion's Mind," Sampras wrote about seeing her onscreen and becoming utterly entranced. "Bridgette Wilson, an actress in the film, caught my eye. Actually, she blew me away when I saw her. I thought she was stunning," he wrote (via People). Anxious to meet her, a friend was able to get her number from her publicist, so Sampras gave her a call. "I called Bridgette a few days later. She was very shy on the phone. I asked her out, and she suggested meeting at my place," he wrote, as excerpted by Sportskeeda. While Sampras' reputation on the tennis court had made him famous, his future wife had no idea who he was. "I had never watched tennis, so I wasn't familiar with him," she told InStyle. "But when I saw his picture, I was like, 'Oh yeah, he's a cutie.'"

Their first interaction, however, was hardly rainbows and fireworks. "Our first meeting was almost painful, it was so awkward," he continued. "We were both tongue-tied, and we barely made eye contact. It was comical, or at least it would have been to anyone who wasn't either of us." They went out to dinner, and both loosened up. By the end of the meal, Sampras experienced an epiphany. "Back at home after our first date, I was smitten — I knew she was the one," he declared.

Nine months after that first date, armed with a platinum diamond ring from Cartier, Pete Sampras popped the question. They set a date, six weeks away. Their respective schedules, however, made wedding planning difficult, so they turned over the responsibilities to Bridgette Wilson-Sampras' sister (and maid of honor), Tracy Wilson, and wedding coordinator Rob Smith of L.A.-based Laurels Custom Flora. "Tracy chose the invitations and tasted the food for me. I was like, if you think it tastes good, I will," Wilson told InStyle. "Bless her heart, she did so much for me, and Rob just worked magic to get it all done in time."

The wedding achieved Wilson-Sampras' goal of being both intimate and elegant; held in the backyard of Sampras' L.A. home, approximately 80 guests were in attendance. These primarily included members of their families, along with close friends — including NHL great Wayne Gretzky. During the reception, dinner was capped off by a musical treat when surprise guest Elton John pulled up in a limo. He then performed a 45-minute set featuring some of his greatest hits, concluding with his "Lion King" classic "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." "That's one of my most vivid memories of the wedding," she recalled.

In a 2002 interview promoting her film "Extreme Ops" (via Samprasfanz), Bridgette Wilson-Sampras — eight months pregnant at the time — was asked whether she'd learned how to play tennis. "I haven't," said the newylwed, admitting that being married to Pete Sampras, one of the greatest to have ever played the game, made the prospect of picking up a racket more than a little daunting. "There have been a couple of times we've gone on the court but it's pretty hard when I say, 'Well, how do you serve?' and he says, 'Well, you just do this.' Then you watch him and you go, 'OK, if I could just do that, I would be playing professionally.' I've decided I'm going to wait until my children are old enough [to play] because then maybe I'll be on the same level."

Wilson-Sampras may not have a future in her husband's field, but she has admitted that he could potentially excel in hers. While conceding that she wouldn't pose much of a threat on the tennis court, she did reveal that her husband could potentially do well in her line of work. Asked if her husband could act, she replied, "I'll tell you what: He's pretty good at it sometimes." 

In November 2002, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras and husband Pete Sampras welcomed their first child, son Christian Charles. As the first-time mother divulged in an interview with Pregnancy Magazine, she initially felt nervous. Learning the truth about pregnancy firsthand can be daunting, especially for new mothers. "The first time around as a mom, I held on really tight and I was so stressed," she explained. "Pete was a little freaked, so he wasn't doing anything. And we were like, 'What's happening here?'"

She also felt intense separation anxiety whenever leaving her son in someone else's care. "It was just devastating to have to get a babysitter that wasn't family," she added, admitting they had some difficulties with babysitters. Another lesson she learned was, as overwhelming as motherhood could be, the importance of maintaining her connection with her husband. "I know my husband felt not so much a part of it and [when he felt] not a part of me, it made everything so much harder," she said, admitting that it took her awhile to learn that particular lesson. 

In 2005, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras and husband Pete Sampras expanded their family with the arrival of a second son, Ryan Nikolaos Sampras. By then, the couple were old hands at parenthood, and experienced far less stress than they did with their first child. That was particularly true for Pete. "By the second one, he was more confident and I was more relaxed and then you just sort of jump into a rhythm," she told Pregnancy Magazine.

Another thing that the couple had learned was to respect each other's distinctive parenting styles, and resist the urge to jump in and correct something they felt the other might be doing improperly. "We had to give each other permission to be different as parents," she added. "That's why there's a mom and dad each with a different approach, because you do need both."

Meanwhile, the tennis star had also learned a few fatherly tricks of the trade, so to speak. "He'll quietly try to do the hand off to me before I can tell [the baby's diaper is dirty], which I think is hilarious," she said in an interview with People, via Men's Tennis Forums.

The role of being a mom has changed a lot throughout history, and many women now find themselves balancing parenting with a career. While raising her two young sons, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras decided to ease back on her acting in order to raise her children. As she told Modern Mom, that was necessary in order to achieve the balance between family and career that felt right to her. "Therefore, I work a lot less acting wise, but the jobs I do take mean something to me and my surrounding support system knows it," she explained, noting that husband Pete Sampras took on more of the parenting responsibilities when she's working, and her mother also pitched in. "I'm blessed to have the best of both worlds, but I do believe it's because I work to nurture both," Wilson-Sampras added.

Interviewed by Pregnancy Magazine, she said that she envisioned a day when her sons were older and circumstances would allow her to resume acting in earnest. "I haven't really ever considered that I wouldn't go back, it would just be a matter of when," she said, but admitted that, at that point, it was still in the somewhat distant future. 

Although pageants like Miss USA have controversial histories, many contestants become lifelong fans of these competitions. Bridgette Wilson-Sampras was all of 17 years old when she represented her home state, Oregon, in the 1990 Miss Teen USA pageant (via YouTube). Prior to being crowned winner, she was asked why the judges should vote for her. "I would like to be the next Miss Teen USA simply because I believe in the teens, and I am a teen, and I would like to have the opportunity to represent all the wonderful qualities that we really do have," she said. "And that would give me a lot of great pride, and it would make me happy to have all the teens believe in me."

There's no question that winning Miss Teen USA helped propel her toward a successful acting career, and in 2006 she returned to her pageant roots by becoming a judge for the 2006 Miss Universe pageant. She was in good company; among her fellow judges were "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry and comedian Tom Green.

Ever since becoming a mom, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras was crystal clear that her family was more important to her than her Hollywood career. While her children were young, she continued to take on the odd role — including the 2005 film "Shopgirl," starring legendary comedian Steve Martin (who made headlines for his unfiltered thoughts about Selena Gomez's 2022 Emmy snub).

In 2008, Wilson-Sampras starred in the film "Phantom Punch." "I also just finished working on the biopic 'Phantom Punch,' the true story of boxing great Sonny Liston," she said during an interview with Modern Mom. "I had the most amazing time working on that movie. What a treat it was that it came into my world! Life is good." Phantom Punch" was, as of December 2024, her final screen role. For those who'd been paying attention to her diminishing presence in film and television, her retirement couldn't have come as that big of a surprise. "For now, I want to be there when [the boys] wake up and I want to be there to put them in bed," she told Hot Moms Club (via People).

Having officially retired from Hollywood after shooting "Phantom Punch," Bridgette Wilson-Sampras made an unexpected return to one of her most identifiable roles when she reprised her "Mortal Kombat" role in "Mortal Kombat 11." That project, however, wasn't a movie sequel, but a video game. In that game, fans of the film received a bonus via the "Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack," with players able to don the identities and costumes of Wilson-Sampras' character, Sonya Blade, as well as other favorites from the film. She and the other actors also lent their voices to the characters; this, for Wilson-Sampras, was the first acting role that she'd taken on in more than a decade.

Interestingly, had things gone according to plan it would have Cameron Diaz who played Sonya in the 1995 film. As associate producer Lauri Apelian revealed in an oral history of the movie for The Hollywood Reporter, Diaz — who had yet to burst through to stardom with "The Mask" — was cast, but suffered a debilitating injury during stunt training prior to production. "She broke her wrist right before shooting to the point where she couldn't do the martial arts stunts we needed," Apelian explained. "We were very happy with Bridgette. It was great she was available." Similar to Wilson-Sampras, Diaz quit acting after a successful career to focus on other pursuits.

In December 2020, Pete Sampras came forward with some sad news to share about wife Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. "As most have come to know, I am a pretty quiet and private person. However, this past year has been an exceptionally challenging time for my family, and I have decided to share what's been going on," he began the statement shared via X, formerly Twitter. "Last December, my wife, Bridgette, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer," he continued, revealing that she'd undergone surgery, and had been treated via chemotherapy. 

"It is hard to watch someone you love go through a challenge like this," Sampras continued, admitting they'd been heartened by the way their sons had stepped up to support their mom. "Watching Bridgette continue to be an incredible mom and wife through it all has been inspiring," he added. Sampras concluded by writing, "With that said, I will end this by humbly asking for good thoughts and prayers for our family as Bridgette continues to thrive on her healing journey." We're sure that having a supportive husband by her side was very helpful for Wilson-Sampras.