Description

---

Olga Kurylenko, a Ukrainian-born actress and model, go from sharing a cramped apartment building with her aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousin to playing a Bond girl alongside Daniel Craig.She was born as Olga Konstantinovna Kurylenko on November 14, 1979 in Berdyansk, Ukraine, Soviet Union. Her mother, Marina Alyabysheva, divorced her father, Konstantin Kurylenko, shortly after her birth. After the divorce, her mother struggled to survive as an art teacher. Young Olga was raised by her mother and grandmother, Raisa. During her youth, Olga had the humble experience of living in poverty; She had no choice but to use rags and had to mend the holes in her sweater. During her years in Ukraine, she studied art and languages and spent seven years studying piano at a local music school in Berdyansk. She also went to a ballet studio until she was 13.At age 13, Olga and her mother took a trip to Moscow. There she was discovered by an agent, who approached her in a subway station and offered her a job as a model. Olga's mother was initially suspicious, but she verified the agent's credentials and eventually allowed Olga to accept modeling training in Moscow, which turned out to be a good career choice.At 16 she was geared up for the next step. She moved to Paris, learned French in six months, and signed with the Madison agency. At 18 she appeared on the cover of Glamor and before long she appeared on the covers of Elle, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire and Vogue. She also became the face of lingerie companies Lejaby, Ropa Bebe, Clarins, and Helena Rubinstein.In 1999 Olga married French photographer Cedric Van Mol, but divorced him 3 and a half years later. One day Olga went to an acting agency. Eventually, she switched from the catwalk to 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 film roles have been remarkably passionate, and her natural beauty and explicit nudity attracted the attention of male audiences. She appeared alongside Elijah Wood in Paris, je t'aime (2006) and as "Sofia" in The Serpent (2006), then co-starred with the Russian beauty "Nika Boronina" alongside Timothy Olyphant in Hitman (2007). She also appeared as "Mina Harud" in the independent surveillance thriller Tyranny (2008). On Christmas Eve 2007, Olga was offered to perform what will become her biggest success: co-starring as "Camille," the Bond girl, alongside Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace (2008), a sequel to Casino Royale ( 2006).With international success like Bond Girl, Olga also made appearances in various television productions in Russia and Ukraine. In 2012, Olga Kurylenko was cast as Julia, supporting role in the sci-fi adventure Oblivion (2013) alongside Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman.