Olga Kurylenko
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
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 Lejaby 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, I Love You (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.
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 Lejaby 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, I Love You (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.