The war close to home: celebrities who are of Russian or Ukrainian origin

The beautiful Irina Shayk was born in 1986 in the city of Yemazhelinsk (Chelyabinsk region, Russia). She conquered the catwalks of the world and is considered a style icon. But she has also showed talent for acting.

Shayk appeared in films such as 'L'Agent' (2013) and 'Hercules' (2014). She dated football player Cristiano Ronaldo and Bradley Cooper. With the actor, she has a daughter, Leah de Seine Shayk Cooper. The couple separated in 2019.

Born on October 4, 1967 in San Francisco, California, this actor has many origins. He's Ukrainian through his maternal grandfather. The actor's name Liev is an adaptation of the Ukrainian name Lev. In cinema, he appeared in the 'Scream' trilogy, in addition to 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' and 'The 5th Wave,' among others.

Vera Ann Farmiga was born in Clifton, New Jersey, on August 6, 1973. Her parents are Ukrainian and they raised her under a strict Ukrainian Catholic upbringing. In fact, Farmiga did not speak English until she was 6 years old. She also used to tour with a Ukrainian folk dance company when she was a child.

The actress and model was born in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on December 17, 1975. She starred in the 'Resident Evil' saga and, in 2019, played Vivienne Nimue, the Bloody Queen in the 'Hell Boy' reboot.

Olga Kurylenko, born in 1979 in Berdyanskna, Ukraine, started her modeling career at a famous Moscow agency. At 18, her face was featured in magazines like Glamour and ELLE.

In cinema, she participated in '007: Quantum of Solace' (2008), 'Centurion' (2010), 'Oblivion' (2013), 'Johnny English 3.0' (2018), and 'Black Widow' (2021), among many other productions.

She won our hearts as the courageous Lagertha in the acclaimed series 'Vikings' (2013-2020). Although she was born in Etobicoke (Canada) on December 17, 1977, she is of Ukrainian descent and considers Ukraine her homeland. The first language she learned to speak was Ukrainian.

This Russian actor, popular in the 1990s and 2000s, was born in 1963 in Tula (Russia). He appeared in high-profile films and won many awards. Some examples were 'Love on Death Island' (1991), 'American Daughter' (1995), and 'Thief' (1997). Among the most recent was 'Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol' (2011).

The actress was born in Chernivtsi (Ukraine) on August 14, 1983. She received praise for her performance in 'Black Swan' (2010), for which she won the Best New Actress award at the Venice Film Festival. But she's also well-known from 'That 70s Show,' the sitcom where she met her current husband, Ashton Kutcher. They have two children.

The talent of actor Konstantin Khabensky, born in 1972 in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), has spread beyond the borders of his homeland. He began his career with the 90s crime series 'Cops' and later appeared in 'Night Watch,' 'Wanted,' 'World War Z,' and 'Black Sea' (2015).

This Russian director was born in Moscow in 1937. One of his successful Hollywood films is 'Tango & Cash' (1989), starring Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone. Then came the 'Odyssey saga' (1997) with the incomparable Isabella Rossellini in one of the main roles. His film 'Dear Comrades' (2020), was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Singer-songwriter Oksana Grigorieva, who was born in 1970 in Saransk, Russia, entered Hollywood thanks (or unfortunately) to Mel Gibson. He produced one of her albums, after which they began a romantic relationship. Though this sounds lovely at first sight, the couple ended in court over a domestic violence charge.

David William Duchovny was born in New York on August 7, 1960. His paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. He rose to fame as Agent Mulder in the science fiction series 'The X-Files.'

Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born in New York on July 6, 1946. He is of Italian and Ukrainian descent. The maternal side of the family hails from Odessa, Ukraine. The actor made history in cinema with the sagas 'Rambo' and 'Rocky.'

The protagonist of so many landmark films such as "Titanic," "The Revenant," "The Wolf of Wall Street," and more recently, "Don't Look Up" was born on November 11, 1974, in Los Angeles. He doesn't just have German and Italian roots, his maternal grandmother Yelena Smirnova was originally from Odessa, Ukraine.