Hollywood Stars with Ukrainian Roots

(Study acting, Learn English!)

 Sometimes the films shown in American movie theaters seem extremely far from Ukrainian reality. However, Hollywood becomes closer and dearer when you find out how many of our compatriots make high-quality world cinema.

Milla Jovovich

Milla can be proud of every Ukrainian. The daughter of the famous Soviet actress Galina Loginova moved from Kyiv to the United States at the age of five and was able to build a dizzying career in the modeling and film business. It is worth noting that Milla speaks not only Russian but also Ukrainian with almost no accent and undisguised pleasure.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman learned the dramatic history of his own family not so long ago on the air of one of the American television shows dealing with genealogical investigations. It turns out that the paternal actor’s grandmother and grandfather had immigrated from the White Church (Kyiv region) to Chicago before the start of the infamous Jewish pogroms. Hoffman’s grandfather later returned to his homeland to take his parents away but was shot on arrival. Hearing about this, the famous “rain man” was moved to tears.

Steven Spielberg

One of the most talented directors of his generation, not only from childhood used to the sounds of Russian and Ukrainian speech but also, by his own admission, likes to taste real Ukrainian borsch from time to time. Stephen inherited such exotic for the American from his grandfathers. Both ancestors of Spielberg were from Ukraine. One was born in Odessa, the other in a small village near Kamenetz-Podolsky.

Vera and Taissa Farmiga

To these two sisters from Hollywood, love for everything Ukrainian was instilled in childhood. The parents of the girls Lyubov and Mikhail were active representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in the states. Surprisingly, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga did not speak English at all until the age of six because she heard exclusively Ukrainian speech in her family. Both actresses also performed in the Ukrainian folk ensemble and are still free to speak and sing in the language of their ancestors.

David Duchovny

We all know that among foreigners there are cases when they really could not distinguish Russian from Ukrainian. So David Dukhovny for a long time mistakenly considered himself a Russian. This is despite the fact that his father was born in Kyiv. The actor finally figured out the complex geographical intricacies recently, when Ukraine began to be often mentioned in foreign news. The fact that he is still Ukrainian, Dukhovny proudly announced to his subscribers on Twitter.

Mila Kunis

The Hollywood starlet and current wife of Ashton Kutcher also speaks excellent Russian and Ukrainian. All because she hails from Ukrainian Chernivtsi. In 1991, Mila’s family, having received a Green Card, moved from Ukraine to Los Angeles.

Liv Schreiber

The name of the Hollywood actor and partner of the famous actress Naomi Watts that has taken root in the American community is actually a distorted transcription of the name Leo. Schreiber’s maternal grandfather was a native of Ukraine. The actor himself knows the history of his family very well and often recalls Ukrainian roots in an interview.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio also for a long time mistakenly believed that his ancestors came from Russia, which he repeatedly told. Sometime later, the newly-minted Oscar-bearer, apparently, looked at the world map and found that Odessa was in Ukraine. Grandmother Leo was called Elena Smirnova. She left her native land, having married a German.

Sylvester Stallone

Almost everyone knows about the Italian origin of the famous Rabmo but few have heard of his Ukrainian roots.  The ancestors of Stallone on the maternal side lived in Odessa. Mother Slya found out about this many years ago from KGB officers.

Liv Tyler

A girl with unusual beauty at one time did not in vain conquer Peter Jackson, who shot her as an elf in the famous trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps not the last role in the formation of such a spectacular appearance was played by the Ukrainian roots of the actress. The fact that Liv Tyler has ancestors from Ukraine became known from an interview with her famous father Stephen Tyler. During a visit to Ukraine, the rocker admitted that his grandfather was Ukrainian and that in his childhood, Ukrainian borsch was one of his favorite dishes.

So, you see Hollywood is not far away. Dear girls, don`t waste your time during the quarantine. Study acting, learn English and who knows, maybe, Hollywood will smile at you one dayJ

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