Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kurylenko is a Ukrainian-born actress and model who has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Born in Berdyansk, Ukraine on November 14, 1979, Olga had a difficult upbringing in the Soviet Union. Her mother, Marina Alyabysheva, struggled to make ends meet after divorcing Olga's father, Konstantin Kurylenko, soon after Olga's birth. Olga and her mother were often without money and Olga fondly remembers having to darn her sweaters to make them last. At just 13 years old, Olga moved with her mother to Moscow and was discovered by an agent while waiting on the subway platform. Olga was signed as a model and moved to Paris at 16 to further her career. She quickly learned French and went on to appear on the cover of Glamour, as well as Elle, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire and Vogue. She became the face of Lejaby lingerie, Bebe clothing, Clarins and Helena Rubinstein cosmetic companies. In 1999, Olga married her friend, French photographer Cedric Van Mol, and divorced him three and a half years later. One day, Olga decided to try her hand at acting, and it was love at first take! Olga made her film debut as Iris in L'annulaire (2005) and subsequently appeared in Paris, je t'aime (2006), Le serpent (2006) and Hitman (2007/I). She also starred as Mina Harud in the independent surveillance-thriller Tyranny (2008) and played Camille, the Bond girl, in Quantum of Solace (2008). When asked if she ever considered another career, Olga quips, "I think being a professional cobbler would have been a great gig… At least I'd have all the experience from darning my sweaters."