The ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is now attracting worldwide attention. However, behind the tension of the superpower, many people are discussing things about Russia. One of them is a row of Hollywood artists of Russian descent.
Who would have thought, so far, many top Hollywood artists have Russian blood. Some have parents from there, even born and raised in the White Bear Country. Launching various sources, here’s the full list!
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Rows of Hollywood Artists of Russian descent
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
The owner’s full name Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio apparently belongs to a Hollywood artist of Russian descent.
Born on November 11, 1974 in Los Angeles, California, he is the only child of George DiCaprio and Irmelin Indenbirken.
His father is a former comic book artist of Italian and German descent. While his mother who was born in Germany is of German and Russian descent. His middle name, “Wilhelm”, was his maternal grandfather’s first name.
As a result of this, DiCaprio also played a monk trusted by Tsar Nicholas II, namely Grigori Rasputin. In the biopic, Rasputin is known to often give sermons to the last emperor of the Russian Empire.
2. Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman is an actress born in the 1980s who won the Academy Award in the ‘Best Actress’ category for her 2010 film Black Swan. She was born with the real name Natalie Hershlag on June 9, 1981.
Natalie is entirely of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Natalie’s father was born in Israel and Natalie’s mother was born in Ohio, United States.
Natalie’s paternal grandparents were from Rzeszów, Poland and Romania. Meanwhile, Natalie’s maternal grandfather came from a family of immigrants from Austria, Ukraine and Russia. Meanwhile, Natalie’s maternal grandmother is the granddaughter of immigrants from Lithuania and Russia.
3. Jake Gyllenhaal
The actor whose real name is Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, California. Jake Gyllenhaal is the son of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal. She is the sister of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. His godmother is actress Jamie Lee Curtis. His mother came from a Jewish family, and his father’s descendants include Swedish, English and Swiss-German.
Based on the trivia on the IMDB page, Jake tells of the beliefs that his family holds. His father was a Christian salt, while his mother was a Jew. However, Jake is a descendant of Swedish royalty, lo!
“My father was descended from the Swedish Gyllenhaal family, a royal line founded by my ancestor Nils Gunnarsson Haal in the 17th century and was very influential in Sweden for a long time. My great-grandfather migrated to the United States. But I see myself as a Jew, because my mother is a Russian-Jew in New York.”
4. Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian born actress. She is known as a supermodel, fashion designer, singer and public figure. The owner’s real name Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich has been the cover girl in more than a hundred magazines, and starred in films such as The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006), and the Resident Evil franchise (2002).
He was born on December 17, 1975 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now in Ukraine). His father, Bogdan Jovovich, was a medical doctor in Kiev. While his mother, Galina Jovovich is a Russian actress.
At the age of 5, Milla migrated with her parents from the Soviet Union, moving first to London, England, then to Sacramento, California, and finally settling in Los Angeles.
5. James Franco
James Franco was born on April 19, 1978 in Palo Alto, California. Growing up with his two younger brothers, Dave Franco who is also an actor, and Tom Franco, James graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996 and went on to attend UCLA, majoring in English. He also includes Hollywood artists of Russian descent.
The owner’s real name James Edward Franco was born to Betsy Franco, a writer, artist, and actress, and Douglas Eugene “Doug” Franco a businessman.
His mother is Jewish and his father is of Portuguese and Swedish descent. James’ father is of half Portuguese and half Swedish descent, with Portuguese roots being on the island of Madeira. James’ mother came from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Russia, Germany, Poland and Lithuania).
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6. Jennifer Connelly
Jennifer Connelly was born in the Catskill Mountains, New York. He grew up in Brooklyn Heights, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, except for the four years his parents spent in Woodstock, New York.
The beautiful artist who once played the Hulk’s lover is the son of Ilene (Schuman), an antiques dealer, and Gerard Connelly, a clothing manufacturer.
His father had Irish and Norwegian ancestry, and his mother came from a family of Jewish immigrants. His father is of Irish and Norwegian descent. His mother came from an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Poland and Russia).
7. Joaquin Phoenix
Successfully playing the Joker, the name Joaquin Phoenix won 98 awards for his performance. But who would have thought, the actor whose real name is Joaquin Rafael Bottom is a Hollywood artist of Russian descent. He is of Anglo-Russian descent.
8. Mila Kunis
Born with the real name Milena Markovna Kunis, she is a Hollywood actress who was born in Ukraine. In 1991, at the age of 7, he moved from Soviet Ukraine to the United States with his family. After being enrolled in acting classes as an after-school activity, she is soon discovered by an agent.
9. Sylvester Stallone
Legendary actor Sylvester Enzio Stallone or familiarly known as Sylvester Stallone is the next Hollywood artist of Russian descent. He was born on July 6, 1946 in Hell’s Kitchen, New York.
His father, Jackie Stallone, was a fortune teller. While her mother, Frank Stallone is a beautician and hairdresser. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother’s heritage was half French (from Brittany) and half German.
Sylvester’s father, Frank Stallone, was an Italian immigrant. Sylvester’s maternal grandfather came from immigrants from the Russian Empire, Charles Schachan Labofish and Rose Ethel Lemlich.
10. Olga Kurylenko
Line up to become Taskmaster in the film Black Widow, Olga became one of the Hollywood artists of Russian descent. The owner of the real name Olga Konstantinovna Kurylenko is a French actress and model.
He is of Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian descent. Kurylenko was born and raised in Ukraine and made a career as a model at the age of 13 before moving to Paris to continue her career three years later. She started her acting career in 2005.
11. Harrison Ford
The actor Han Solo in the Star Wars film was born in Chicago, Illinois. His maternal grandparents, Harry Nidelman and Anna Lifschutz, were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, Belarus (then part of the Russian Empire), who came to New York in 1907, trying to escape the pogroms.
12. Pamela Anderson
Often labeled as a sexy artist, Pamela Anderson’s name is widely known because of her appearance in Playboy magazine. Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model and activist. The Baywatch star also has Russian ancestry from his mother’s side.
13. Jon Bon Jovi
The next Hollywood artist of Russian descent is John Francis Bongiovi Jr.
Known by his stage name Jon Bon Jovi, he is founder as well as the vocalist of the rock band ‘Bon Jovi’. This New Jersey-born singer apparently has a Russian lineage from his mother, Carol Sharkey. Meanwhile, his father, John Francis Bongiovi Sr. was a United States Marine who came from Italy.
A line of Hollywood artists of Russian descent often appear on television to the big screen. Not infrequently, they also act as main players in several films. So, are any of your favorite artists on the list?
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5 Ukrainian Blooded Artists Who Are Successful in Hollywood, One of them Played in Marvel Movies
