10 stars with roots from the former USSR

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Harrison Ford turns 72 on July 13. His grandmother Anna moved to the United States from Belarus. Today we congratulate Harrison and remember other celebrities with roots from the former Soviet Union.

Harrison Ford

The actor was born on July 13, 1942 in Chicago to an ordinary family. His grandmother, Anna Lifshuts, came from a Jewish family and lived in Minsk until 1907. Having emigrated with her family to the United States, Anna settled in Brooklyn and soon met true love. It was a young tram driver Harry Niedelman, who turned out to be Anna's countryman. The young people got married, in 1917, Anna and Harry had a daughter, Dora, who later became the mother of Harrison Ford. Growing up, Dora changed her name to Dorothy, married the Irishman Chris Ford. In an interview, Harrison joked that "his genes are a real explosive mixture." He mentioned in an interview his involvement in the former Union. In 2000, the actor came to Murmansk to meet with the sailors of the first Soviet nuclear submarine "K-19", about the fate of which was filmed. Ford was delighted with Russian hospitality.

Leonardo DiCaprio

The Leonardo family included Germans, Americans, Italians and Russians. The actor's maternal grandmother was named Elena Stepanovna Smirnova (some sources say that her name was Elizabeth). After the revolution, the Smirnov family emigrated from Russia to Germany. In a conversation with Vladimir Putin, Leo said that his grandfather was also related to Russia, so he was half Russian. The actor is proud of his strong spirit grandmother, who went through poverty, war, hunger. Leonardo played in more than 30 films and was nominated for an Oscar five times, but never received an award.

Mila Kunis

The famous actress was born in the small town of Chernivtsi in the south-west of Ukraine into a Jewish family. Her father, Mark, was a mechanical engineer, and her mother, Elvira, was a physics teacher. The family emigrated to the States in search of a better life when the future actress was eight years old.

The family emigrated to the States in search of a better life when the future actress was eight years old.

Mila was enrolled in Rosewood Elementary School, but she did not speak a word of English, which is why at first she had serious difficulties with her studies. We can say that the actress learned the language on the TV show "The Price of Luck". Only by the third grade did Mila begin to speak fluent English.

The career of the young actress began in 1994 with the appearance of Barbie dolls in commercials. Kunis got her first significant role in 1998 in the television series The 70s Show, where she met Ashton Kutcher.

Mila speaks Russian with her parents. In an interview, the actress admitted that Russian is the most beautiful and native language for her.

Dustin Hoffman

Two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman was born in 1937 in Los Angeles. His parents were from Kiev (which was then part of the USSR).

Dustin's mother was a jazz pianist, and his father changed professions several times. Hoffman's parents emigrated from the Soviet Union in the 1920s after the Bolsheviks shot Dustin's grandparents. Young Hoffman's interest in acting was instilled by his father, who worked for Columbia Pictures and told his son interesting stories about Hollywood. The actor got his first role in the film "Tiger Coming Out". In total, Dustin has more than 70 film roles.

Helen Mirren

Elena Vasilievna Mironova, known throughout the world as Helen Mirren, was born on July 26, 1945 in the suburbs of London. The father of the actress - Vasily Petrovich Mironov - Russian. Helen's grandfather was a military engineer and served on the Russian Government Committee in London, he was engaged in the procurement of weapons and military equipment for the Russian army.

Lydia Andreevna Kamenskaya, a great-grandmother on her paternal side, was the great-granddaughter of Field Marshal Count Mikhail Fedotovich Kamensky. The mother of the actress - Kathleen Alexandrina Eva Matilda Rogers - was an Englishwoman from a working-class family. After the death of his grandfather, Helen's father changed his name to Basil Mirren, and his daughter's name to Helen Mirren. The actress is very proud of her roots, but she hardly knows Russian.

The actress made her film debut in the 1969 film "Coming of Age", where she played Cora Ryan. Helena won an Oscar for Best Actress for the historical film The Queen.

Anton Yelchin

This actor was born in 1989 in Leningrad. His parents Viktor Yelchin and Irina Korina were professional skaters. Victor and Irina moved to Los Angeles when little Anton was only six months old.

The parents wanted their son to follow in their footsteps and become an athlete.

Now the actor's father works as a figure skating coach, and his mother is a choreographer in ice programs. The parents wanted their son to follow in their footsteps and become an athlete. Anton did not stick well on skates, so Victor and Irina tried to introduce him to other sports. But even in them Yelchin did not succeed. Parents often told Anton about their life in Leningrad, about the blockade, hunger and poverty. All this was done in order to instill in the boy the ability to be compassionate, to teach him to be generous and kind.

Anton decided to become an actor as a child. He first appeared on screen in 1997. In total, Yelchin played about 40 roles, and his career continues to develop actively. According to Anton, he does not remember Russia, he loves her, as well as his relatives who have remained here.

Michelle Trachtenberg

The 28-year-old actress, known for the TV series "Gossip Girl", the films "Ice Princess", "Euro Tour" and "Dad is 17 Again", also has Russian roots. Michelle was born on October 11, 1985 in New York to a Jewish family. Her mother, Lana, was born in Russia, and her father, Michael, is from Germany. At home, the actress prefers to speak Russian.

Michelle played Marina Oswald in the 2013 film Assassination Kennedy. Throughout the film, the actress had to speak Russian.

Sylvester Stallone

The future performer of the role of Rambo was born in 1946 in New York. His maternal grandmother, Rosa Leibovich, was born and lived in Odessa, from where she emigrated to the States only in 1918. The actor's father, hairdresser Frank Stallone, emigrated to the United States from Sicily. Mother, Jacqueline Leibofish, danced on Broadway in her youth, performed in the circus and participated in beauty contests.

Stallone is proud of her Slavic roots and Jewish origin, she is happy to talk about how her grandmother was very rich, wore expensive jewelry, never worked, but only raised children. In 2002, Sylvester's mother went to Odessa to learn more about her relatives and her origins. The actor himself, due to his employment, could not visit the homeland of his ancestors, but said that he would definitely come to Odessa somehow.

The actor's filmography includes more than 50 films.

Milla Jovovich

The American actress has Russian-Serbian roots. Milla was born on December 17, 1975 in Kiev. Her father, Bogdan, worked as a doctor in Montenegro. The mother of the actress, Galina Loginova, is a Russian by nationality, was an actress. The Jovovich family moved to London in 1980.

At school, other children treated Milla with disdain due to her background. When the girl was 15 years old, her father was sentenced to 20 years for financial fraud. Mom was engaged in the career of a beautiful daughter. In the movie, Milla first appeared in 1988, playing one of the roles in the movie "Two Moons Confluence". The actress knows Russian, but speaks it with an accent. In 2010, she even starred in Levan Gabriadze's comedy "Freaks" together with Konstantin Khabensky and Ivan Urgant.

Natalie Portman

The Black Swan star was born in Jerusalem to Avner Hershlag and Shelley Stevens. Her maternal ancestors were Jews from Russia who immigrated to the United States, changing their last name. On the paternal side, there were Romanians and Poles in the family. The actress's parents moved to the capital of Israel from Chisinau. When Natalie was three years old, the family moved to the United States. Portman is a stage name, the actress took the name of her maternal grandmother.

As a child, Natalie danced and performed with local troupes.

As a child, Natalie danced and performed with local troupes. In 2003, the actress received her BA in Psychology from Harvard. The girl is very proud of her education and does not regret that she missed the Star Wars premiere because of the entrance exams.

These are not all the actors who can boast of Slavic roots. Among them are Winona Ryder, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Scherzinger, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Connelly, Nina Dobrev, Pamela Anderson, Sean Penn, Steven Segal, Michael Douglas, David Duchovny and many others. Which "our" celebrities in Hollywood do you know?