Ivan Urgant facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ivan Urgant
Иван Ургант
Hosting the Scarlet Sails in St Petersburg, 2019
Born	(1978-04-16) 16 April 1978 (age 47) Leningrad, USSR
Other names	Vnuk Grisha Urgant
Citizenship	Russia, Israel
Alma mater	Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy
Occupation	Television host, actor
Years active	1999-present
Television	Evening Urgant
Spouse(s)	Karina Avdeeva ​ (divorced)​ Natalia Kiknadze ​ (m. 2007)​

Ivan Andreyevich Urgant (born April 16, 1978) is a well-known Russian television host, presenter, and actor. He is famous for his acting roles, especially as Boris in the Yolki film series. From 2012 to 2022, he hosted Evening Urgant, a popular late-night talk show. This show was paused in February 2022. Ivan Urgant has been named Russia's most popular TV presenter in surveys. He also leads the board of trustees for the Friends Charitable Foundation.

Biography

Early life and education

Ivan Urgant was born in Leningrad, which is now known as St Petersburg, USSR. He grew up in a family of actors. His parents, Andrei Urgant and Valeriya Kiseleva, were both actors. His grandparents, Nina Urgant and Lev Milinder, were also famous actors. Ivan has a mixed background, including Russian, Estonian, and Jewish heritage.

About a year after Ivan was born, his parents separated. He then lived with his mother and his stepfather, Dmitri Ladygin, who was also an actor.

Ivan studied at a music school and a gymnasium (a type of high school) in Leningrad. He later graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. After finishing his acting studies, Ivan did not immediately become a full-time theater actor. Instead, he worked as a waiter and bartender. He also hosted nightly shows in clubs. In 2018, it was reported that he also became a citizen of Israel.

Television career

Urgant hosting Smak, 2008

Urgant hosting Evening Urgant, 2012

Urgant hosting the Scarlet Sails in Saint Petersburg, 2018

Ivan Urgant started his career in 1999 at a radio station in St. Petersburg. He also appeared on television, hosting the program Petersburg Courier on 5TV. Later, he moved to Moscow and continued his radio career. He worked for "Russian Radio" and then "Hit-FM."

In May 2001, Ivan first appeared on Moscow television on MTV Russia. He was invited to audition for the show Cheerful Morning. By 2002, he was hosting other MTV Russia shows like Total Show and Expresso.

From 2003 to 2005, he worked on several TV projects for the Russia-1 channel. He hosted shows such as People's Artist and Pyramid. Since 2005, he has been working for Channel One. He has hosted popular programs like Smak, Evening Urgant, and Prozhektorperiskhilton. He also often hosts award ceremonies.

Since 2006, Ivan Urgant has appeared with Vladimir Pozner in a series of travel documentary shows. These shows are called Travels of Pozner and Urgant.

Ivan Urgant has won the TEFI award multiple times for his work in television. He received this award in 2007, 2009, 2010 (twice), 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

On May 16, 2009, he co-hosted the final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest with Russian singer Alsou. In December 2017, Urgant was one of the hosts for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Team Draw Show. He hosted alongside Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya.

On February 24, 2022, he posted a message on his Instagram account saying "No to War." After this, his late-night program Evening Urgant was taken off the air.

In 2024, Ivan Urgant played the main role in the drama film You Cried in Your Sleep. This movie was produced by Aleksandr Sokurov.

Other activities

Since 2011, Ivan Urgant has been a co-owner of a restaurant in Moscow called The Sad (which means "Garden" in Russian). He owns it with Aleksandr Tsekalo. Since 2016, he has also been a board member and co-owner of a real estate agency called W1Evans.

Filmography

Actor

Ivan Urgant has acted in several films, including:

• Streets of Broken Lights (1999) as Nikolay "Mammoth" Kolesnikov
• Yolki (2010) as Boris Vorobyov
• Lucky Trouble (2011) as Danya
• Vysotsky. Thank You For Being Alive (2011) as Seva Kulagin
• Yolki 2 (2011) as Boris Vorobyov
• Yolki 3 (2013) as Boris Vorobyov
• Yolki 1914 (2014) as Boris Yefimovich
• Yolki 5 (2016) as Boris Vorobyov
• Ice (2018), a cameo role
• Yolki 6 (2017) as Boris Vorobyov
• Yolki 7 (2018) as Boris Vorobyov
• Yolki 8 (2018) as Boris Vorobyov
• You Cried in Your Sleep (2024) as father

Host

Ivan Urgant has hosted many different TV shows. Some of his most notable hosting roles include:

• Petersburg Courier (5TV, 1999)
• Cheerful Morning (MTV Russia, 2001–2002)
• Total Show (MTV Russia, 2002)
• Expresso (MTV Russia, 2002–2004)
• People's Artist (Russia-1, 2003–2004)
• Pyramid (Russia-1, 2004)
• Gusto (Channel One; 2006–2018)
• Big Difference (Channel One, 2008–2012)
• Prozhektorperiskhilton (Channel One, 2008–2012, 2017)
• Evening Urgant (Channel One; 2012–2022)
• Travel series with Vladimir Pozner, including One-Storied America, Tour de France, Their Italia, The German Puzzle, England in general and particular, Jewish Happiness, In search of Don Quixote, The Most. The Most. The Most, and Japan. The reverse side of the kimono.

Music

Ivan Urgant is also a musician. He plays the guitar, piano, and drums. In the late 1990s, he performed music under the name Vnuk, which means Grandson in Russian. In 2011, Ivan started his singing career again. He now performs under the name Grisha Urgant.

Discography

• 1999 — "Star"
• 2012 — "Estrada"

Theatrical experience

Ivan Urgant played the role of Savva Vasilkov in the play "Mad Money." This play was performed at the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre.

See also

In Spanish: Iván Úrgant para niños