Milla Jovovich Biography

Milla Jovovich (born Milica Nata?a Jovovi?; December 17, 1975) is a Ukrainian-born American model, actress, musician, and fashion designer. Over her career, she has appeared in a number of science fiction and action themed films, for which music channel VH1 has referred to her as the "reigning queen of kick-butt".

Jovovich began modeling at eleven, when Richard Avedon featured her in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements, and she continued her career with other notable campaigns for L'Or?al cosmetics, Banana Republic, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, and Versace. In 1988, she had her first professional acting role in the television film The Night Train to Kathmandu, and later that year she appeared in her first feature film, Two Moon Junction. Following more small television appearances like the "Fair Exchange" (1989) Married with Children episode and film roles, she gained notoriety with the romance film Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991), the sequel to The Blue Lagoon. She appeared in 1993's Dazed & Confused alongside Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey. Jovovich then acted alongside Bruce Willis in the science fiction film The Fifth Element (1997), and later played the title role in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). In 2002, she starred in the video game adaptation Resident Evil, which spawned two sequels: Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007).

In addition to her modeling and acting career, Jovovich released a critically acclaimed musical album, The Divine Comedy in 1994. She continues to release demos for other songs on her official website and contributes to film soundtracks as well; Jovovich has yet to release another album. In 2003, she and model Carmen Hawk created the clothing line Jovovich-Hawk, which ceased operations in early 2008. In its third season prior to its demise, the pieces could be found at Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols, and over 50 stores around the world. Jovovich also has her own production company, Creature Entertainment.

Early life and family

Jovovich was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, the daughter of Bogdan Bogdanovich Jovovi?, a Serbian pediatrician, and Galina Loginova, a Soviet stage actress of ethnic Russian descent.

Jovovich's paternal family's estate was at Metohija in Zlopek near Pe? in the northwestern part of Kosovo. Her paternal great-grandfather, Bogi? Cami? Jovovi?, was a flag-bearer of the Vasojevi?i clan and an officer in the guard of King Nicholas I of Montenegro; his wife's name was Milica, after whom Milla got her name. Her paternal grandfather, Bogdan Jovovi?, was a commander in the Pristina military area, and later investigated finances in the military areas of Skopje and Sarajevo, where he uncovered massive gold embezzlement. He was punished for refusing to convict a friend of the crime. Later, the government briefly imprisoned him in Goli otok for refusing to testify. When he feared that he could be arrested again, he escaped to Albania and later moved to Kiev. A different version of the story claims that he was the one who took the gold. Milla's father, Bogich, later joined Bodgan in Kiev, where he and his sister graduated in medicine. In 2000, her grandfather, Bogdan Jovovi?, died in Kiev.

In 1981, when Jovovich was five years old, her family left the Soviet Union for political reasons and moved to London. They subsequently lived in Sacramento, California before settling in Los Angeles seven months later; Jovovich's parents divorced soon after.

In 1988, as a result of her father's relationship with a woman from Argentina, Jovovich's half-brother Marco Jovovich, was born. Jovovich's mother attempted to support the family with acting jobs, but found little success, and eventually resorted to cleaning houses to earn money. Both her father and mother provided house cleaning services for director Brian De Palma. Jovovich's father was incarcerated for participating in an illegal operation concerning medical insurance; he was given a 20-year sentence in 1994, but was released in 1999 after serving five years in an American prison. Jovovich has stated that "Prison was good for him. He's become a much better person. It gave him a chance to stop and think."

Milla Jovovich