Olga Kurylenko
☼ Born on 14 December 1979, in Berdyansk, Zaporozhye Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine]
Biography
Olga Kurylenko is a Ukrainian-French actress and model, went from sharing a cramped flat with her aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousin to starring as a Bond girl opposite Daniel Craig.
She was born Olga Konstantinovna Kurylenko on November 14, 1979, in Berdyansk, Ukraine, Soviet Union. Her mother, Marina Alyabysheva, divorced her father, Konstantin Kurylenko, soon after her birth. After the divorce her mother struggled to survive as an art teacher. Young Olga was brought up by her mother and her grandmother, Raisa. During her youth Olga had the humbling experience of living in poverty; she had no choice but to wear rags and had to darn the holes on her sweater. During her years in Ukraine she studied art and languages and spent seven years studying piano at a local school of music in Berdyansk. She also went to a ballet studio until 13.
At age 13 Olga and her mother made a trip to Moscow. There she was spotted by an agent, who approached her at a subway station and offered her a job as a model. Initially Olga's mother was suspicious, but she checked the agent's credentials and eventually allowed Olga to accept training as a model in Moscow, which turned out to be a good career choice.
By age 16 she was ready for the next step. She moved to Paris, learned French in six months and was signed by the Madison agency. At age 18 she appeared on the cover of Glamour, and in short order graced the covers of Elle, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire, and Vogue. She also became the face of L
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ejaby lingerie, Bebe clothing, Clarins and Helena Rubinstein cosmetic companies.
In 1999 Olga married French photographer Cedric Van Mol, but divorced him 3-1/2 years later. One day Olga presented herself to an acting agency. Eventually she swapped the catwalk for the movie screen, and her acting career took off. In 2005 she made her film debut as "Iris", a sensual beauty, in The Ring Finger (2005), by director Diane Bertrand.
Olga's cinematic roles have been notably steamy, and her natural beauty and explicit nudity attracted the attention of the male audiences. She appeared opposite Elijah Wood in Paris, Je T'aime (2006) and as "Sofia" in The Snake (2006), then co-starred as Russian beauty "Nika Boronina" opposite Timothy Olyphant in Hitman (2007). She also appeared as "Mina Harud" in the indie surveillance-thriller Tyranny (2008). On Christmas Eve 2007, Olga was offered to play what will become her biggest hit: co-starring as "Camille", the Bond girl, opposite Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace (2008), a sequel to Casino Royale (2006).
With the international success as Bond Girl, Olga also made appearances on various TV productions in Russia and Ukraine. In 2012, Olga Kurylenko was cast as Julia, supporting role in the Sci-Fi adventure Oblivion (2013) opposite Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman.
In the role of actor
Black Widow (16/07/2021)
The former Russian assassin confronts her past in Black Widow. Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is on the run for violating the Sokovia Accords. While in hiding, Natasha suddenly finds herself attacked by the masked assassin Taskmaster, who was after a package sent to her by sister-figure Yelena Belova (Florence […]
Momentum (26/07/2015)
A thief goes on the run from a master assassin in Momentum. Alex Faraday (Olga Kurylenko) comes out of retirement to perform one last heist for her former partner. When her face is accidentally revealed during the robbery, Alex is forced to lay low in Cape Town. However, she becomes a target for CIA assassin Mr. […]
Oblivion (20/04/2013)
Tom Cruise has adventures on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the new sci-fi epic Oblivion. Many years ago, an alien force invaded Earth in a war that absolutely decimated the planet. Humanity has long evacuated to the Saturn moon of Titan and Jack (Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are the only remaining human occupants, while Jack […]
Quantum of Solace (16/11/2008)
I guess it can agreed that the James Bond series would seem a little dated with newer action-packed spy films like the Jason Bourne films showing up. However, I never expected the producers to try and combine the two. There are many times throughout the film that seems to borrow from the Bourne films (including […]
Max Payne (25/10/2008)
About four years ago, I bought the original Max Payne PC game from a bargain bin. I played through the entire game within a week and I was totally engrossed with its film noir-inspired story and its John Woo-inspired action. I wish I could say the same for the movie. I really hate it when […]