Olga Kurylenko, born November 14, 1979, is a Ukrainian supermodel model and an actress on the rise. She grew up in the Ukrainian seaside town of Berdyansk. Berdyansk is a resort on the Azov Sea famed for its mineral water springs and mud baths. But when Olga was growing up it was rundown with Soviet-era plants closing due to bankruptcy.
Aged just 16, Olga was on holiday in Moscow with her mother when she was seen by a model scout getting off a metro train. Said Olga’s mother: “I was very surprised and kept asking this woman whether she had some hidden agenda. I was amazed a complete stranger could scout for models like this. She told us that Olga was too young but she would contact us again in a year or so.” Olga later returned to Moscow for training but by the age of 17 she was ready to leave for Paris to start her career and was signed by a Parisian agency
After flying off to Paris, Ms. Kurylenko learned French in just six months. She was soon on the cover of magazines such as Elle and Vogue. Olga began her film career in France in 2005 with L’Annulaire. She received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance in the film, and also starred in the Paris, je t’aime segment Quartier de la Madeleine opposite Elijah Wood. Kurylenko predominantly tackled thriller roles for her next several assignments, with supporting turns in such features as Le Serpent (2006) and Hitman (2007), and made international headlines when she landed the role of Camille in the 22nd installment of the James Bond series, Quantum of Solace, to be released in November 2008.
