Milla Jovovich facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Milla Jovovich
Jovovich in 2019
Born	Milica Bogdanovna Jovović (1975-12-17) December 17, 1975 (age 49) Kyiv, Soviet Union
Citizenship	US (since 1994)
Occupation	Actress model singer
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Shawn Andrews (m. 1992; ann. 1992) Luc Besson (m. 1997; div. 1999) Paul W. S. Anderson (m. 2009)
Children	3, including Ever Anderson
Parent(s)	Galina Loginova (mother)

Milica Bogdanovna Jovović (born December 17, 1975), known as Milla Jovovich, is an American actress, singer, and former model. She is famous for her roles in many science fiction and action movies. In 2006, the music channel VH1 called her the "reigning queen of kick-butt." Forbes magazine also named her the highest-paid model in the world in 2004.

Milla was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and grew up in Los Angeles. She started modeling at a young age. She made her first movie appearance in 1988.

Jovovich became well-known for her role in the 1991 movie Return to the Blue Lagoon. She had a big breakthrough in 1997 with the French science-fiction action film The Fifth Element. She later starred as Joan of Arc in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). From 2002 to 2016, she played Alice in the Resident Evil action horror movie series. This series became the most successful film series based on video games.

Milla Jovovich released her first music album, The Divine Comedy, in 1994. She also started a clothing line called Jovovich–Hawk in 2003, which ran until 2008.

Milla Jovovich's Early Life
Milla Jovovich's Acting Career
Other Work
Milla Jovovich's Personal Life
- Family and Relationships
- Interests and Views
Milla Jovovich's Filmography
Images for kids
See also

Milla Jovovich's Early Life

Milla Jovovich was born on December 17, 1975, in Kyiv, Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Her mother, Galina Loginova, was a Russian actress. Her father, Bogdan Jovović, was a Serbian doctor. Milla spent most of her early childhood in Moscow, Russia. She has said she was born in Ukraine "by accident" and remembers more about her life in Russia.

In 1980, her family moved to London, then to Sacramento, California, and finally settled in Los Angeles. Milla's parents divorced soon after they arrived. Her mother worked hard cleaning houses to earn money.

Milla went to public schools in Los Angeles. She learned to speak English very quickly, in just three months. She sometimes felt different from her classmates because she came from the Soviet Union. At age 12, she left seventh grade to focus on her modeling career, which she had started when she was nine. Milla became a U.S. citizen in 1994.

Milla Jovovich's Acting Career

Starting Out in Movies (1985–1996)

Milla's mother wanted her to be a movie star. In 1985, when Milla was ten, her mother enrolled her in acting classes. Milla appeared in her first professional movie, Two Moon Junction, in 1988. That same year, she was in the TV movie The Night Train to Kathmandu. She also had roles in TV shows like Paradise (1988) and Married... with Children (1989).

At 15, Milla played the main role in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). This role was talked about because, like Brooke Shields in the original movie, Milla appeared without clothes. She was nominated for "Best Young Actress" at the Young Artist Awards. In 1992, she acted with Christian Slater in Kuffs and played Mildred Harris in the movie Chaplin. In 1993, she was in Dazed and Confused. After this, she took a break from acting and moved to Europe.

Becoming a Star (1997–2001)

Jovovich at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.

Milla returned to acting in 1997 with a lead role in the French science-fiction action film The Fifth Element. She starred alongside Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman. She played Leeloo, an alien who helps save the Earth. Milla worked very hard for this role. She even helped create an alien language of over 400 words for her character. The movie was a big success, earning over $263 million worldwide. Critics often praised its visual style. Milla was nominated for "Favorite Female Newcomer" and "Best Fight" awards. She has said that Leeloo is her favorite role.

In 1998, Milla appeared in Spike Lee's drama He Got Game. In 1999, she played Joan of Arc in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. She cut her hair short and wore armor for many battle scenes. The movie did well at the box office. In 2000, Milla was in The Million Dollar Hotel and the western film The Claim. She also had a supporting role as the evil Katinka in the comedy Zoolander (2001).

Global Success (2002–2009)

Jovovich at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2002, Milla starred in the horror-action film Resident Evil. This movie was based on the popular Capcom video game series. She played Alice, a hero who fights zombies. Milla was a fan of the video game, which is why she took the role. She trained in karate, kickboxing, and combat to do her own stunts. The movie was a big hit, earning over $102 million worldwide.

After Resident Evil, she appeared in several other films. In 2004, Milla played Alice again in Resident Evil: Apocalypse. She trained for three hours a day for this role. Even though critics didn't like it much, Apocalypse was a huge commercial success. In 2006, Milla starred in the science fiction thriller Ultraviolet, where she also had many fight scenes.

In 2007, Milla returned as Alice in Resident Evil: Extinction, the third movie in the series. This film also did very well at the box office. In 2009, Milla starred in the thriller A Perfect Getaway and the science-fiction thriller The Fourth Kind.

Recent Movies (2010–Present)

In 2010, Milla Jovovich played Alice again in Resident Evil: Afterlife, directed by her husband, Paul W. S. Anderson. She also appeared in the dramedy Dirty Girl and the psychological thriller Stone with Robert De Niro.

Jovovich at the 2012 WonderCon promoting Resident Evil: Retribution.

In 2011, Milla starred as Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers. She also played a woman who couldn't recognize faces in Faces in the Crowd. In 2012, she returned for the fifth Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Retribution.

Jovovich at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Milla continued her role as Alice in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), the sixth and last film in the Resident Evil series. This movie was the highest-grossing film in the franchise, earning over $312 million worldwide. In 2019, she played the evil Vivienne Nimue, the Blood Queen, in the Hellboy reboot movie.

Milla Jovovich is also a co-founder of a production company called Creature Entertainment.

Other Work

Music Career

Milla started working on a music album in 1988. She wrote her own lyrics and music. In April 1994, she released her first album, The Divine Comedy. Critics liked the album, comparing her music to artists like Tori Amos and Kate Bush. She toured the United States and Canada to promote her album.

In 1999, Milla formed an experimental band called "Plastic Has Memory." The band played several shows but never released a formal album. Milla has also contributed songs to the soundtracks of many of her movies, like The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) and Dummy (2002). She has also been a guest singer on other artists' songs. In 2012, she released a new single called "Electric Sky."

Modeling Career

Milla Jovovich has been very successful in modeling. She has appeared on over 100 magazine covers, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Elle. She has worked for famous fashion brands like Versace, Chanel, and Prada. Since 1998, she has been a global spokesperson for L'Oréal cosmetics.

In 2004, Forbes magazine named Milla the highest-paid model in the world. She has said that modeling was never her main goal. The money she earned from modeling allowed her to choose the acting roles she wanted. In 2012, she became the face of Jacob & Co, a watch and jewelry company. In 2018, she became the face of Balmain.

Fashion Design

In 2003, Milla and fellow model Carmen Hawk started a clothing line called Jovovich–Hawk. They opened a showroom in New York City. Their designs were praised by Vogue magazine. In 2006, their line was nominated for a special fashion award. In 2007, Milla and Hawk even designed the costume for Milla's character Alice in Resident Evil: Extinction. In 2008, they decided to end the business because it took up too much of their time.

Milla Jovovich's Personal Life

Family and Relationships

Milla Jovovich married actor Shawn Andrews in 1992 when she was 16. Her mother had the marriage canceled two months later. She later married The Fifth Element director Luc Besson in 1997, but they divorced in 1999.

After starring in Resident Evil (2002), Milla started dating its director, Paul W. S. Anderson. They got married on August 22, 2009. They have three daughters. Their first daughter, Ever Anderson, was born on November 3, 2007. Their second daughter was born on April 1, 2015. Their third daughter was born on February 2, 2020. Milla lives in Los Angeles and New York City.

Interests and Views

Milla speaks fluent English and Russian, and some French and Serbian. She was raised in a Russian household. She has said that her Russian roots are very important to her and make her who she is. She still speaks Russian with her daughters and reads them Russian stories. Milla believes that education and intelligence are very important.

She practices yoga and meditates to stay healthy. Milla enjoys playing the guitar and writing poems and song lyrics.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Milla Jovovich showed her support for Ukraine on her Instagram page. She wrote that she was "heartbroken" by the events in her birthplace. In October 2023, Milla signed an open letter with other artists. This letter asked President Joe Biden for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.