French actress Olga Kurylenko. Photo by Siebbi. Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about Olga Kurylenko


 

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko was born on 14th November 1979. She is a Ukrainian actress and model. Olga began her acting career in 2005. She rose to prominence for her role as Nika Boronina in the film adaptation of the video game Hitman.

She’s best known for her roles in the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, as Bond girl Camille Montes, and as the super villain Taskmaster in the Marvel Studios film, Black Widow.

Olga Kurylenko also appeared in To the Wonder, Seven Psychopaths, Oblivion, The Death of Stalin, and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

1. Olga Kurylenko was raised by her single mother

Olga Kurylenko during the new Ford Ka presentation in Paris. Photo by Mikołaj Kirschke. Wikimedia Commons

Kurylenko was born in Berdyansk, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union. Her father, Konstantin, is Ukrainian, and her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, was born in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, and is of Russian and Belarusian ancestry. 

Her parents divorced when she was three years old, leaving her to be raised by her single mother. Kurylenko had little contact with her father, meeting him for the first time after their divorce when she was eight years old, and again when she was thirteen. 

Olga did not receive a formal education as a child. This is because she grew up in poverty, but she was sent to a local music school to learn the piano. During her childhood, she also studied the arts, languages, and ballet. She is trilingual, speaking French, English, and Russian.

2. Olga Kurylenko started off as a model

Olga Kurylenko at Sitges Film Festival 2019. Photo by Moritz Barcelona. Wikimedia Commons

When Olga and her mother visited Moscow, an agent noticed her and offered her a job as a model. Her mother, initially skeptical, reluctantly agreed to let her daughter pursue modeling.

At that time, Olga was only 13 years old. She was serious about her modeling career.  By the time she was 16 she moved to Paris. There she was signed by the Madison Agency.

At the age of 18, she appeared on the covers of fashion magazines such as ‘Elle,’ ‘Marie Claire,’ ‘Madame Figaro,’ and ‘Vogue.’ Olga has also been named the face of several cosmetic and clothing brands.

Her successful modeling career paved the way for her acting career, which brought her some steamy roles that any man would fall for!

3. Her first role was in a music video

Olga Kurylenko at the premiere of Seven Psychopaths, Toronto Film Festival, 2012. Photo by GabboT. Wikimedia Commons

Olga got her big break in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace after appearing in Seal’s music video “Love’s Divine” in 2003, a track on his fourth album. She then appeared in French films such as L’Annulaire and the Paris, Je t’aime segment “Quartier de la Madeleine” with Elijah Wood.

It wasn’t until 2007 that she was introduced to American audiences through the films Max Payne and the video game adaptation of Hitman.

4. Olga Kurylenko wanted to be a surgeon

Olga Kurylenko never intended to be a model. She told her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, when she was a child that she wanted to be a surgeon.

When she was about 7 or 8, she discovered a newborn kitten that didn’t seem to be surviving. But Olga insisted on performing CPR on the poor pet. When her mother told her they couldn’t, she burst into tears.

5. Olga Kurylenko was married twice

Olga married French photographer Cedric van Mol in 2000, but the couple divorced four years later. She married an American named Damian Gabrielle, a mobile phone accessory entrepreneur, in 2006. Their marriage, however, did not last, and the couple divorced in late 2007.

She also dated Ben Cura from 2017 to 2020. Ben is an Argentine actor who was born in Buenos Aires on September 30, 1988. She had COVID-19 and was also dealing with her separation from Ben. They split up because their schedules clashed. According to sources, the couple split before she tested positive for the global pandemic, Covid-19.

6. Olga runs a charity in Ukraine for underprivileged kids

Olga used her celebrity status to help children living in poverty in Ukraine after she rose to prominence as an actress. She became a philanthropist, donating $10 million to help children in her homeland who faced the same fate she did as a child. According to And Magazine, Olga devoted her time to fundraising and raising awareness of issues that were important to her.

7. Olga met with Ukraine’s former first lady

Olga Kurylenko told the BBC about her visit with Ukraine’s former first lady Kateryna Yushchenko and her mother in October 2008. The former first lady thanked Olga for scheduling the premiere of Quantum of Solace in Ukraine. “They were so friendly and welcoming.

8. She’s received two awards 

Olga Kurylenko. Photo by Stephon Joseph. Wikimedia Commons

She has received two awards: “Best Actress” at the 2005 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her role in L’Annulaire and “Best Cast” at the 2012 Boston Society of Film Critics Award for her role in Seven Psychopaths.

Aside from these, she was nominated for a Saturn Award in 2008 and an Empire Award in 2009 for her performance in Quantum of Solace. She was also nominated for “Best Ensemble Performance” at the 2012 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards for her role in Seven Psychopaths.

When it comes to her net worth and earnings, her involvement in movies, TV shows, and other activities has a significant impact on her earnings. Her net worth is estimated to be $18 million dollars.

9. Olga Kurylenko is a natural brunette

When it comes to the star’s body measurements, she stands at 5’9″ (175 cm) tall and weighs around 53kgs. Likewise, her chest-waist-hip measurements are 34-24-35 inches.

In addition, she is a natural brunette with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.

10. Olga has a street named after her

Olga Kurylenko has brought honor to her country by appearing in international films. Anatoly Stepanenko, the mayor of Berdyansk, had high hopes for her to help put their country on the map.  He even named a street after Olga.