Mila Kunis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mila Kunis
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Kunis in 2018
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Milena Markovna Kunis
August 14, 1983 Chernivtsi, Soviet Union
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Milena Markovna Kunis (born August 14, 1983), known as Mila Kunis, is an American actress. She was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. She is famous for playing Jackie Burkhart on the TV show That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. Since 1999, she has also been the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated show Family Guy.
Kunis became well-known in movies with the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. She received praise for her role in the 2010 movie Black Swan. This role earned her nominations for major awards like the Golden Globe Award.
Her other popular movies include Max Payne (2008), The Book of Eli (2010), and Friends with Benefits (2011). She also played the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013). Kunis has also starred in hit comedies like Ted (2012) and Bad Moms (2016).
Contents
Early Life and Moving to America
Mila Kunis was born on August 14, 1983, in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Her family is Jewish. Her mother, Elvira, was a physics teacher, and her father, Mark, was a mechanical engineer. She has an older brother named Michael. In her family, Russian was the main language spoken at home.
In 1991, when Mila was seven years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. They left the Soviet Union because they felt there was no future for their children there. They arrived with only $250. Kunis said it was a difficult time. She didn't know any English when she started school in Los Angeles.
She once described the experience by saying, "Imagine being blind and deaf at age seven." It was hard for her to understand the new culture and language. She attended Rosewood Elementary School and later Hubert Howe Bancroft Middle School. While filming That '70s Show, she had a tutor on set for her high school education. She graduated from Fairfax High School in 2001.
Career
First Roles on TV
When she was nine, Kunis started taking acting classes. Her first acting jobs were in commercials for Barbie and Lisa Frank products. In 1994, she appeared on the TV shows Days of Our Lives and Baywatch.
In 1998, at age 14, Kunis auditioned for the role of Jackie Burkhart in That '70s Show. Actors were supposed to be 18, so she told the casting directors she would be 18, but didn't say when. The producers thought she was the best person for the role and gave her the part. The show was a big success and ran for eight seasons.
In 1999, Kunis became the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated show Family Guy. The show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, hired her because of her natural-sounding voice. She has been the voice of Meg ever since and was nominated for an Annie Award for her voice acting.
Becoming a Movie Star
In 2008, Kunis starred in the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The movie was a hit, and people loved her performance. She showed she was great at comedy and could improvise her lines.
That same year, she acted alongside Mark Wahlberg in the action movie Max Payne. To prepare for the role of an assassin, she trained in using guns, boxing, and martial arts.
In 2010, she starred with Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli. Many critics praised her performance in the action film.
Breakthrough with Black Swan
Her role in the 2010 movie Black Swan was a major moment in her career. She played a ballet dancer who competes with the main character, played by Natalie Portman.
To prepare, Kunis trained for months. She took ballet classes for four hours a day, seven days a week. She also followed a strict diet. Her hard work paid off. Black Swan was a huge success and received many award nominations. For her performance, Kunis won an award at the Venice International Film Festival. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Success in Comedy and Fantasy
In 2011, Kunis starred with Justin Timberlake in the romantic comedy Friends with Benefits. Critics praised the chemistry between the two stars. In 2012, she was in the comedy Ted, which became her most successful movie at the box office.
In 2013, Kunis played the witch Theodora in Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful. The movie was a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and was a big commercial success.
Recent Movie Roles
Kunis starred in the hit comedy Bad Moms in 2016 with Kristen Bell and Christina Applegate. The movie was so popular that a sequel, A Bad Moms Christmas, was released in 2017. In 2018, she starred in the comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me with Kate McKinnon.
In 2022, she produced and starred in the Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive. Her performance was highly praised by critics. She also made a guest appearance on the show That '90s Show, returning to the world of That '70s Show.
Kunis has continued to work on exciting projects. She starred in the 2024 comedy film Goodrich with Michael Keaton. She is also set to appear in the next Knives Out movie, titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Personal Life
In 2011, Kunis accepted an invitation from a U.S. Marine Sergeant named Scott Moore to attend a Marine Corps Ball. He had invited her through a YouTube video while he was serving in Afghanistan. The event celebrated the 236th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
Kunis began dating actor Ashton Kutcher, her co-star from That '70s Show, in 2012. They got engaged in 2014 and were married in July 2015. The couple has two children, a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2016. They live in a sustainable farmhouse in Beverly Hills.
Kunis and Kutcher are also known for their charity work. In 2022, they started a GoFundMe page to help refugees from Ukraine. They raised over $30 million and donated $3 million of their own money.
Images for kids
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Mila Kunis Esquire 2012.jpg
Kunis in a photoshoot for Esquire magazine in 2012
