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Hollywood has long become a place where all the most eminent actors, not only the United States, but the whole world, traditionally gather.
The stars of the first echelon have not only impressive fees, but also an impressive list of awards, among which there is the most coveted for any actor – Oscar.
Today we will talk about those world celebrities in the field of cinema who, despite the fact that they became famous in America, are of Russian origin and not only do not hide this fact, but are also proud of this part of their history.
Consider the most eminent representatives of this profession.
10 Michael Douglas
The winner of many awards and prizes, Michael Douglas, for most people, is strongly associated with the image of a real American – strong-willed and prudent.
However, in fact, the actor has a small fraction of Russian blood. Michael’s great-grandfather left Russia during the Russo-Japanese War, so as not to get to the front.
Initially, his last name was Danielovich-Demsky, but once in America, he decided to change such an unusual-sounding surname for local residents to the widespread Douglas, so as not to attract too much attention.
Several generations later, the Douglas family not only established itself on American soil, but also founded a famous acting dynasty, one of whose representatives is Michael.
9. Gwyneth Paltrow
The name of this American actress is strongly associated with Hollywood. Nevertheless, she also has Russian roots.
The actress’s father was a descendant of the noble Paltrovich family, who lived in St. Petersburg before the events of the October Revolution.
Once in the United States, the girl’s parents were forced to change their surname to Paltrow in order to give a resemblance to the American one.
From a young age, Gwyneth was brought up as a real American and only in adulthood found out about her connection with Russia. But this did not stop her from accepting her ancestry and calling herself half-Russian.
8. Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis was born in 1983 in Chernivtsi, a small town in southern Ukraine. When the girl was seven years old, she and her family moved to Los Angeles.
Being at such a young age in a foreign country, Mila at first very hard to adapt to new conditions. Since only Russian was spoken in the circle of relatives, Kunis had no idea what her peers were saying at the new school.
But a few months later, the language barrier was broken, and the girl became actively interested in theater and cinema.
Having received her first significant role at just 14 years old, Mila went headlong into her career. The actress still perfectly remembers her native Russian language and is happy to speak it with her family.
7. Robert Downey Jr.
The highest paid actor of recent years and the permanent performer of the role of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is also of Russian origin.
His father was a Jew who left the USSR in search of work. Once in the States, he unexpectedly decided to become an actor and entered the performing arts training center in California.
This decision also influenced Robert Downey Jr., who followed in his father’s footsteps and went to conquer Hollywood.
And although the actor does not speak Russian, quite often at various press conferences Robert pointed out the fact that it was the Russian approach to acting that he was closest to.
6. Winona Ryder
The father of the future movie star was born in Minsk in a family of Jewish immigrants. Winona’s mother was a native of Batosani, which is located in the Romanian province.
At the age of five, the girl moved to California, to the city of Petaluma, where she spent most of her childhood. It was there that young Winona was instilled with a love for theater and art, offering to attend a local drama club.
After graduating with honors from the High School of Arts, Ryder went to conquer the world of big cinema. And the actress got her first major role in the film “Desert Flower”, ironically playing a young Jewish girl there protesting against the war.
Now Winona spends most of her time in California, occasionally traveling outside the United States.
5. Harrison Ford
Having become a real legend during his lifetime, Harrison Ford ended up in the world of big cinema by chance.
And if at one time the creator of the entire franchise, George Lucas, had not paid attention to the modest carpenter who worked on the set of Star Wars, then it is not known who would have embodied the role of the famous bounty hunter Han Solo on the screen.
The actor’s great-grandfather was born in Minsk and moved to the USA in 1907. Ford himself does not particularly talk about his Russian roots, saying that he feels like a XNUMX% American and does not see the need to remember distant ancestors.
4. Natalie Portman
This fragile and talented girl also has Russian roots.
Maternal great-grandmother was Jewish, who in 1903 emigrated from Odessa, first to Israel, and a few years later moved to Washington.
And although Natalie had never been to her historical homeland, Russian was often spoken in her parents’ house.
In addition to a successful acting career, the girl combined her studies at Harvard and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Although the girl is fluent in four languages, Russian, unfortunately, is not one of them. Nevertheless, Portman remembers and honors Russian-Jewish roots and considers them an important part of his history.
3. Milla Jovovich
But who can really call himself Russian and at the same time not at all deceive his soul is Milla Jovovich.
The future Hollywood star was born in the USSR, and her parents from childhood instilled in the girl a love for Russian literature and cinema.
Having moved to New York already at a conscious age, Milla at first did not even dream of becoming an actress.
The unusual appearance of the girl was noticed by one of the agents of the modeling agency and offered her an exclusive contract. Soon, Milla became very popular and during the next fashion show held in Paris, the famous director Luc Besson became interested in her, which became a pass for the girl into the world of big cinema.
2. David Duchovny
Received worldwide fame for the role of Fox Mulder in the TV series “The X-Files”.
Instantly becoming a sex symbol of America, David regularly focused on the fact that his ancestors were from Russia.
In some cases, such frankness ruined the plans of the actor. For example, while auditioning for the main role in the next sitcom, Duchovny was refused only because he positioned himself as a native of a Russian family, which, according to the producers of the show, could affect the ratings.
Nevertheless, this did not prevent the actor from receiving universal recognition. Moreover, in 2014, David starred in an advertisement for the Russian beer “Siberian Crown” with the slogan “Russia has something to be proud of.”
In the actor’s own words, he always felt more Russian than American.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
One of the most popular actors of our time, Leonardo DiCaprio, by his own admission, is more than half Russian.
His grandmother was born in Odessa and emigrated to the US in the early 1950s. Being a big fan of the Stanislavsky system, Leo tried to adopt the basic principles of acting while studying in the Russian theater.
And this has borne fruit. For several years, the actor became famous thanks to his virtuoso ability to try on the widest range of roles.
Among other things, DiCaprio is an animal rights activist and has made several official visits to Russia.