Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko (Ukrainian: Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко, IPA: [ˈɔlʲɦɐ kosʲtʲɐnˈtɪn⁽ʲ⁾iu̯nɐ kʊrɪˈlɛnko]; born 14 November 1979) is an actress known for playing Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008).
Born and raised in Ukraine, Kurylenko moved to France at age 16 to pursue a modelling career. She refocused on acting in 2004 and had her breakthrough role in the action-thriller film Hitman (2007). She has also starred in the romantic drama film To the Wonder (2012), the satirical crime comedy-drama film Seven Psychopaths (2012), the post-apocalyptic action-adventure film Oblivion (2013), the political satire black comedy film The Death of Stalin (2017), the adventure-comedy film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), the Netflix spy thriller miniseries Treason (2022) and the action thriller film Extraction 2 (2023).
Early life
Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko[1] was born on 14 November 1979[2] in Berdyansk, a port city in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.[3] Her father, Konstantin Kurylenko, is of Ukrainian origin, and her mother, Marina Alyabusheva—who teaches art and is an exhibited artist—was born in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia and is of Russian and Belarusian ancestry. Kurylenko's parents divorced when she was three years old, and she was raised by her mother. Kurylenko rarely had contact with her father, meeting him for the first time after the split at age eight and later at age thirteen.[4][5]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Olga_Kurylenko_TIFF_2012.jpg/170px-Olga_Kurylenko_TIFF_2012.jpg)
Kurylenko moved to Moscow at age 15. At age 16, she moved to Paris.[6] In 1996, Kurylenko signed a contract with the Paris-based Madison modelling agency where she met her publicist Valérie Rosen.[7] The following year, by the age of 18, she had appeared on the covers of Vogue and Elle magazines.[8] While working as a model in Paris, Kurylenko supported her mother in Ukraine.[9]
She also appeared on the covers of Madame Figaro and Marie Claire magazines.[10] She became the face of brands Bebe, Clarins, and Helena Rubinstein.[10] She has also modelled for Roberto Cavalli and Kenzo[11] and appeared in the Victoria's Secret catalogue.[12]
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,[13] but her film career truly began in France in 2004 when she shot her first feature film, The Ring Finger,[14] 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.[15] 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.[14]
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).[16] 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.[17][18] Russian politician Sergey Malinkovich wrote an open letter to Kurylenko.[19] 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."[19]
She was featured on the cover of the December 2008 issue of the US edition of Maxim magazine[20] and on the cover of the February 2009 issue of the Ukrainian edition of Maxim.[21] 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.[7][8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Festival_de_Cinema_de_Sitges_2019_%2849500411383%29.jpg/220px-Festival_de_Cinema_de_Sitges_2019_%2849500411383%29.jpg)
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.[22] She also appeared in Oblivion, a science fiction film starring Tom Cruise and directed by Joseph Kosinski.[23] Kurylenko played Alice Fournier in the spy thriller November Man.[24] 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.[25] In the same year, she played Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Black Widow.[26][27] In October, she was cast in comedy heist film High Heat alongside Don Johnson.[28]
Personal life
Kurylenko acquired French citizenship in 2001,[29] 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.[30] In 2000, Kurylenko married French fashion photographer Cedric van Mol, whom she divorced four years later.[31] In 2006, Kurylenko married American mobile phone accessory entrepreneur Damian Gabrielle, whom she divorced the next year.[32] She moved to London in 2009.[33][34][35]
Kurylenko has a son (b. 2015) with her former partner, English actor and writer Max Benitz, whom she met in 2014.[36][37] She expressed support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[38]
Filmography
Film
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 | Sheila | Simon West | [39] | |
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 | |
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 | Klara | Julien Leclercq | [40] |
Black Widow | Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster | Cate Shortland | ||
2022 | Vanishing | Alice | Denis Dercourt | Korean-French Film[41] |
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 | Krystyna Kowerski | ||
2025 | Thunderbolts* † | Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster | Jake Schreier | Post-production |
TBA | Afterburn † | TBA | J. J. Perry | Post-production |
— | Empires of the Deep † | The Mermaid Queen | Jonathan Lawrence Michael French Scott Miller | Unreleased |
Television
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 | |
2012–2013 | 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
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | 007: Quantum of Solace | Camille Montes (voice) |
Awards and nominations
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 |
References
- ^ La Puma, Joe (23 July 2010). "Olga Kurylenko". Complex. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "Today in History: November 14". Associated Press. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Olga Kurylenko Facts Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ^ Алябушева, Марина (18 January 2008). "Новую подругу Бонда нашли в московском метро". Izvestia (in Russian). Interviewed by Соколовской, Янине. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Oblivion's "Olga Kurylenko"". Los Angeles Confidential Magazine. March 2013. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Talking Shop: Olga Kurylenko". BBC News. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Olga Kurylenko Profile on FMD – Olga Kurylenko pictures / images Archived 9 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Fashionmodeldirectory.com. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Seal – Love's Divine [Official Music Video]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ a b "The Wylde Interview: Olga Kurylenko". Wylde Magazine. 19 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Olga Kurylenko – Kenzo Amour long version". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
- ^ "New Bond film title is confirmed". BBC News. 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
- ^ "Olga Kurylenko". 9 March 2023. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ The Bond Girl Olga Kuryelenko on Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Thebondgirls.info. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Russia's Communists threaten to blockade studios if Leonardo DiCaprio plays Vladimir Lenin". Australian Financial Review. 29 January 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Black Widow ending explained: What happens next?". Radio Times. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Black Widow's ending reveals who Taskmaster is". GameRevolution. 8 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Olga Kurylenko : Confidences d'une James Bond Girl". Paris Match (Interview) (in French). Interviewed by Lévêque, Pauline. 30 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ "Going Places | The Olga Kurylenko Interview". Fade In (Interview). 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ "Kurylenko Rules out Marriage". Female First. 21 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- ^ "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.
- ^ (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)
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Sentinelle". Netflix. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ 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.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Olga Kurylenko on Facebook
- Olga Kurylenko on X
- Olga Kurylenko at IMDb
- Olga Kurylenko at AllMovie
- Olga Kurylenko at Fashion Model Directory