Olga Kurylenko

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Olga Kurylenko
Kurylenko in 2019
Born
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko

(1979-11-14) 14 November 1979 (age 44)
Berdyansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality
  • Ukrainian (until 2001)
  • French (from 2001)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
Years active1995–present
Spouses
  • Cedric van Mol
    (m. 2000; div. 2004)
  • Damian Gabrielle
    (m. 2006; div. 2007)
Children1

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko (Ukrainian: Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979)[1][2][3][4] is an actress and former model.[5][6][7] Born and raised in Ukraine, she moved to France at age 16 to pursue a modelling career, acquiring citizenship in 2001. After starting her acting career in 2004,[8] Kurylenko had her breakthrough film role in the action-thriller Hitman (2007). She gained recognition as Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008) and as Taskmaster in the superhero film Black Widow (2021).

Kurylenko has also starred in Terrence Malick's To the Wonder (2012), Martin McDonagh's dark comedy Seven Psychopaths (2012), the science fiction film Oblivion (2013), Armando Iannucci's political satire The Death of Stalin (2017), Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), the Netflix miniseries Treason (2022), and the action film Extraction 2 (2023).

Early life[edit]

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko was born on 14 November 1979 in Berdyansk in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.[1][2][3][4] Her father, Konstantin, is Ukrainian, and her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, who teaches art and is an exhibited artist, was born in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia and is of Russian[9] and Belarusian ancestry.[10]

Kurylenko's parents divorced when she was three and she was raised by her single mother. She rarely had contact with her father, meeting him for the first time after the split when she was eight and later when she was thirteen.[10][11]

Career[edit]

Kurylenko at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Seven Psychopaths

Kurylenko moved to Moscow at age 15. At age 16, she moved to Paris.[7] In 1996, Kurylenko signed a contract with the Paris-based Madison modelling agency where she met her publicist Valérie Rosen.[12] The following year, by the age of 18, she had appeared on the covers of Vogue and Elle magazines.[13] While working as a model in Paris, Kurylenko supported her mother in Ukraine.[6]

She also appeared on the covers of Madame Figaro and Marie Claire magazines.[14] She became the face of brands Bebe, Clarins, and Helena Rubinstein.[14] She has also modelled for Roberto Cavalli and Kenzo[15] and appeared in the Victoria's Secret catalogue.[16]

In 1998, she features in the music video of French Raï style singer Faudel called "Tellement Je T'aime".

One of her first acting appearances was in Seal's music video, "Love's Divine" in 2003,[17] but her film career truly began in France in 2004 when she shot her first feature film, The Ring Finger,[8] for which she received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance. She next starred in the Paris, je t'aime (2006) segment Quartier de la Madeleine opposite Elijah Wood. That same year, she was selected to be the face of Kenzo's new fragrance, Kenzo Amour.[18] She has appeared in all subsequent Kenzo Amour advertisements.[citation needed]

Kurylenko quit modelling in 2006, after over ten years of working in the industry and moved on to acting.[8]

In 2007, she starred in Hitman alongside Timothy Olyphant. She had a minor role in Max Payne as Natasha.

She played Bond girl Camille Montes in the 2008 James Bond film, Quantum of Solace (after beating out Gal Gadot in the auditions).[19] In the film she plays the role of Bolivian Secret Service agent Camille Montes, who teams up with Bond to stop a terrorist organization and avenge the death of her parents.[20][21] Russian politician Sergey Malinkovich wrote an open letter to Kurylenko.[22] In it he said: "In the name of all communists we appeal to you ... deserter of Slavic world. The Soviet Union gave you free education, free medical care but nobody knew you would commit an act of intellectual and moral betrayal and become a movie girl of Bond, who in his movies kills hundreds of Soviet people and citizens of other socialist countries."[22]

She was featured on the cover of the December 2008 issue of the US edition of Maxim magazine[23] and on the cover of the February 2009 issue of the Ukrainian edition of Maxim.[24] In Ukraine the mayor of Berdyansk suggested naming a street after her in early 2008,[citation needed] and she and her mother met Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko in President Victor Yushchenko's family country house.[12][13]

Kurylenko at the Sitges Film Festival in 2019

Kurylenko appeared in Terrence Malick's romantic drama film To the Wonder starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. The film was shot in the fall of 2010 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[25] She also appeared in Oblivion, a science fiction film starring Tom Cruise and directed by Joseph Kosinski.[26] Kurylenko played Alice Fournier in the spy thriller November Man.[27] In 2014, Kurylenko starred in the historical drama film The Water Diviner alongside Russell Crowe (who made his directorial debut), Jacqueline McKenzie and Jai Courtney. She also played the headmistress in Vampire Academy. She later acted in films such as Momentum, Mara and The Bay of Silence.

In 2017, she appeared in Armando Iannucci's political satire film The Death of Stalin as the Soviet pianist Maria Yudina. The film was a critical success and starred Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jason Issacs, Michael Palin, and Jeffrey Tambor. The following year she starred in Terry Gilliam's epic adventure film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce where it premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. She also appeared as Baroness Roxane de Giverny in The Emperor of Paris, and as the Russian spy in the Rowan Atkinson led comedy film Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).

In 2021, she starred in the action thriller film Sentinelle.[28] In the same year, she played Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Black Widow.[29][30] In October, she was cast in comedy heist film High Heat alongside Don Johnson.[31]

Personal life[edit]

Kurylenko acquired French citizenship in 2001,[32] which she called "a practical decision" because it was easier to travel with a French passport without a visa, as opposed to travelling with a Ukrainian passport.[33] She married French fashion photographer Cedric van Mol in 2000. The couple divorced four years later.[34] She married American mobile phone accessory entrepreneur Damian Gabrielle in 2006; the marriage ended in divorce in late 2007.[35] Kurylenko moved to London in 2009.[36][37][38]

Kurylenko and her former partner,[39] English actor and writer Max Benitz, have one son who was born in October 2015.[40]

On 24 February 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is part of the Russian-Ukrainian war, she expressed support for Ukraine.[41]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

List of film performances by Olga Kurylenko
Year Title Role Director Notes
2005 The Ring Finger Iris Diane Bertrand
2006 Paris, je t'aime The Vampire Vincenzo Natali Segment: Quartier de la Madeleine
The Serpent Sofia Éric Barbier
2007 Hitman Nika Boronina Xavier Gens
2008 À l'est de moi The Russian prostitute Bojena Horackova
Max Payne Natasha Sax John Moore
Quantum of Solace Camille Montes Marc Forster
2009 The Assassin Next Door Galia Danny Lerner
2010 Centurion Etain Neil Marshall
2011 There Be Dragons Ildiko Roland Joffé
Land of Oblivion Anya Michale Boganim Also executive producer
2012 Erased Anna Brandt Philipp Stölzl
To the Wonder Marina Terrence Malick
Seven Psychopaths Angela Martin McDonagh
2013 Oblivion Julia Rusakova Harper Joseph Kosinski
2014 Vampire Academy Ellen Kirova Mark Waters
The November Man Alice Fournier/Mira Filipova Roger Donaldson
The Water Diviner Ayshe Russell Crowe
2015 A Perfect Day Katya Fernando León de Aranoa
Momentum Alex Farraday Stephen S. Campanelli
2016 The Correspondence Amy Giuseppe Tornatore
2017 The Death of Stalin Maria Yudina Armando Iannucci
Gun Shy[42] Sheila Simon West
2018 Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume) Anna Daniel Roby
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote Jacqui Terry Gilliam
Mara Kate Fuller Clive Tonge
Johnny English Strikes Again Ophelia David Kerr
The Emperor of Paris Baroness Roxane of Giverny Jean-François Richet
2019 L'Intervention Jane Anderson Fred Grivois
2019 The Room Kate Christian Volckman
The Courier The Courier Zackary Adler
The Translators Katerina Anisinova Rėgis Roinsard
2020 The Bay of Silence Rosalind Paula van der Oest
2021 Sentinelle[43] Klara Julien Leclercq
Black Widow Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster Cate Shortland
2022 Vanishing Alice Denis Dercourt Korean-French Film[44]
White Elephant Vanessa Flynn Jesse V. Johnson
The Princess Kai Le-Van Kiet
High Heat Ana Zach Golden
2023 Extraction 2 Mia Sam Hargrave
Boudica: The Queen of War Boudica Jesse V. Johnson
2024 Chief of Station
2025 Thunderbolts Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster Jake Schreier Filming
TBA Empires of the Deep The Mermaid Queen Jonathan Lawrence
Michael French
Scott Miller
Unreleased

Television[edit]

List of television performances by Olga Kurylenko
Year Title Role Director Notes
2001 Largo Winch Carole TV series (1 Episode : "Contessa Vanessa")
2006 Le porte-bonheur Sophia Laurent Dussaux TV movie
2007 Suspectes Eva Pirès TV miniseries (7 episodes)
2010 Tyranny Mina Harud John Beck Hofmann TV series (5 episodes); also writer
2012–13 Magic City Vera Evans Mainly Ed Bianchi
Simon Cellan Jones
TV series (16 episodes)
2014 Mission Control NASA broadcasting news Will Ferrell Episode 13: Go Home
2020 Wonderland, the girl from the shore Alice Hervé Hadmar 6 episodes
2022 Treason Kara Yusova TV miniseries (5 episodes)
2023 Of Money and Blood Julia Xavier Giannoli and Frederic Planchon TV miniseries

Video game[edit]

List of video game performances by Olga Kurylenko
Year Title Role Notes
2008 007: Quantum of Solace Camille Montes (voice)

Awards and nominations[edit]

List of Olga Kurylenko award nominations and awards won
Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome
2005 Brooklyn International Film Festival Best Actress The Ring Finger Won
2008 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Quantum of Solace Nominated
2009 Empire Awards Best Actress Quantum of Solace Nominated
2012 Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Cast Seven Psychopaths Won
2012 San Diego Film Critics Society Award Best Performance by an Ensemble Seven Psychopaths Nominated

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b La Puma, Joe (23 July 2010). "Olga Kurylenko". Complex. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Olga Kurylenko : biographie, filmographie et actualité". Le Point (in French). Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Olga Kurylenko Facts Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Today in History: November 14". Associated Press. 14 November 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Revealed: Cruise nearly killed while filming in Iceland". Icenews - Daily News | News in the Nordics. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b Hilton, Ruth (December 2008). "Olga Kurylenko: A View to a Thrill". Maxim. 12 (12): 74. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Oblivion's "Olga Kurylenko"". Los Angeles Confidential Magazine. March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "The Wylde Interview: Olga Kurylenko". Wylde Magazine. 19 February 2019.
  9. ^ «Новую подругу Бонда нашли в московском метро» Archived 27 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. iz.ru (in Russian). 18 January 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  10. ^ a b Sokolovskaya, Yanina (18 January 2008). "New Bond girl was discovered in a subway while on holidays with her mother in Moscow". Izvestia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
  11. ^ "Quantum of Solace: Olga Kurylenko on being the latest, beautiful Bond girl". The Daily Telegraph. London. 24 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2008. The French capital has been the actress's home for 12 years, since she left Ukraine as a 16-year-old modeling hopeful in 1996.
  12. ^ a b Kateryna Yushchenko Meets with Actress Olga Kurylenko | Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Fund Archived 4 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Ukraine3000.org.ua (10 October 2008). Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  13. ^ a b "Talking Shop: Olga Kurylenko". BBC News. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  14. ^ a b Olga Kurylenko Zone – Devoted to model actress Olga Kurylenko with the latest wallpapers news photos and videos Archived 21 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Kurylenko-olga.com. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  15. ^ Olga Kurylenko Profile on FMD – Olga Kurylenko pictures / images Archived 9 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Fashionmodeldirectory.com. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Hottest Victoria's Secret Models – Olga Kurylenko". pop crunch.com. 30 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  17. ^ "Seal – Love's Divine [Official Music Video]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  18. ^ "OLGA KURYLENKO – Kenzo Amour long version". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  19. ^ "New Bond film title is confirmed". BBC News. 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  20. ^ "Olga Kurylenko". 9 March 2023. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  21. ^ The Bond Girl Olga Kuryelenko on Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Thebondgirls.info. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Russia's Communists threaten to blockade studios if Leonardo DiCaprio plays Vladimir Lenin". Australian Financial Review. 29 January 2016.
  23. ^ "Olga Kurylenko: If her looks don't knock you dead, trying to pronounce her last name might". Maxim. December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  24. ^ "Olga Kurylenko for magazine "Maxim" (photo)". Ukrainians.ca worldwide Ukrainian community. 23 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
  25. ^ Ford, Rebecca (4 April 2013). "Olga Kurylenko on Her Breakout Month With 'Oblivion' and 'To the Wonder' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  26. ^ Kit, Borys (19 January 2012). "'W.E.' Star Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko Join Tom Cruise's Sci-Fi Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  27. ^ "Cannes: Olga Kurylenko, Luke Bracey, Bill Smitrovich Join 'November Man'". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  28. ^ "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Sentinelle' on Netflix, Where Olga Kurylenko Is A Traumatized Soldier Seeking Justice For An Attack On Her Sister". Decider. 6 March 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Black Widow ending explained: What happens next?". Radio Times. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Black Widow's ending reveals who Taskmaster is". GameRevolution. 8 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  31. ^ Hipes, Patrick (20 October 2021). "Olga Kurylenko And Don Johnson Topline Action Comedy 'High Heat'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  32. ^ "Olga Kurylenko : Confidences d'une James Bond Girl". Paris Match (Interview) (in French). Interviewed by Lévêque, Pauline. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  33. ^ "Going Places | The Olga Kurylenko Interview". Fade In (Interview). 26 June 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  34. ^ "Kurylenko Rules out Marriage". Female First. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  35. ^ "I will never belong to anyone: Olga". The Times of India. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
  36. ^ (in Russian) Ольга Куриленко: Из окна своей квартиры я вижу Эйфелеву башню Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Komsomolskaya Pravda Ukraine (23 October 2009)
  37. ^ Holt, Laura (22 March 2014). "My Life in Travel: Olga Kurylenko". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  38. ^ Bradshaw, Paul (18 December 2019). "'Quantum of Solace' star Olga Kurylenko on a female Bond: "If they called me and asked, I wouldn't say no"". NME. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  39. ^ Rose, Hilary (15 September 2018). "Olga Kurylenko: how to dress like a Bond girl". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  40. ^ "Bond girl Olga Kurylenko is a New Mother". Contact Music. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 November 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  41. ^ Kurylenko, Olga (24 February 2022). "#pleasestopthewar #ukraine". Instagram. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022. Praying for Ukraine and the safety of its people
  42. ^ "Saban Films Acquires Simon West's 'Gun Shy' Starring Antonio Banderas". Deadline. 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  43. ^ "Sentinelle". Netflix. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  44. ^ Jo Ji-young (23 February 2022). "[공식] 유연석X올가 쿠릴렌코 韓·佛 프로젝트 '배니싱', 3월 개봉 확정" [[Official] Yoo Yeon-seok X Olga Kurylenko Korean-French project 'Banishing' confirmed for release in March] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022 – via Naver.

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