Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, who played Sonya Blade in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, has revealed her battle with ovarian cancer.
Wilson-Sampras’ tennis star husband Pete Sampras announced the cancer diagnosis in a statement posted to X. “As most have come to know, I am a pretty quiet and private person,” Sampras said. “However, this past year has been an exceptionally challenging time for my family and I have decided to share what’s been going on. Last December, my wife, Bridgette, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Since then, she has had major surgery, pushed through chemotherapy and continues with targeted maintenance therapy.”
Sampras continued by discussing the difficulty of seeing his spouse deal with the life-threatening illness and how the couple’s two children stepped up in such a traumatic time. As Wilson-Sampras continues to get medical care, her husband asks for the public’s support.
“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. Thank you,” Sampras said.
The career of Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Crowned Miss Teen USA at age 17 and making her acting star on the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1992, Wilson-Sampras made her big screen debut as Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s daughter in 1993’s Last Action Hero. She played significant roles opposite Adam Sandler in 1995’s Billy Madison and supporting roles in 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and 2001’s The Wedding Planner. Wilson-Sampras’ last credited role was in the 2008 movie Phantom Punch with Ving Rhames as boxing legend Sonny Liston.
Wilson-Sampras is widely remembered as the first actor to play Sonya Blade on the big screen in Paul Anderson’s 1995 Mortal Kombat adaptation. Despite mixed reviews, the movie was popular with general audiences and fans of the games. Though she did not reprise the role for the 1997 sequel, Wilson-Sampras was immortalized as a Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack of the character featuring her likeness and voice in the 2019 release of Mortal Kombat 11.
