Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko (born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian-born French actress and former model. She rose to prominence by playing the Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008).
Kurylenko began her career modelling in Paris before making a transition to acting. She had her breakthrough role in the action thriller Hitman (2007) after making her film debut in the drama The Ring Finger (2005). Following Quantum of Solace, she went on to star in the romantic drama To the Wonder (2012), the crime comedy Seven Psychopaths (2012), the science fiction film Oblivion (2013), the political satire The Death of Stalin (2017), the comedy The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), the superhero films Black Widow (2021) and Thunderbolts* (2025), the Netflix spy thriller miniseries Treason (2022) and the action thriller Extraction 2 (2023).
Early life Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko was born on 14 November 1979 in Berdyansk, a port city in Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. Her father, Konstantin Kurylenko, is Ukrainian. Her mother, Marina Alyabusheva, teaches art and is an exhibited artist. Marina's father was a Russian factory worker, and her mother, Raisa, was a Belarusian doctor. Kurylenko's parents divorced when she was three years old. Growing up poor, she lived in a small house with her maternal grandparents, Marina and their relatives. Kurylenko rarely had contact with Konstantin, meeting him for the first time after the split at the age of eight and later at the age of thirteen.
Career
Kurylenko moved to Moscow at age 15. At age 16, she moved to Paris. In 1996, Kurylenko signed a contract with the Paris-based Madison modelling agency where she met her publicist Valérie Rosen.Kateryna Yushchenko Meets with Actress Olga Kurylenko | Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Fund . Ukraine3000.org.ua (10 October 2008). Retrieved 4 September 2011. The following year, by the age of 18, she had appeared on the covers of Vogue and Elle magazines. While working as a model in Paris, Kurylenko supported her mother in Ukraine.
She also appeared on the covers of Madame Figaro and Marie Claire magazines.Olga Kurylenko Zone – Devoted to model actress Olga Kurylenko with the latest wallpapers news photos and videos . Kurylenko-olga.com. Retrieved 4 September 2011. She became the face of brands Bebe, Clarins, and Helena Rubinstein. She has also modelled for Roberto Cavalli and KenzoOlga Kurylenko Profile on FMD – Olga Kurylenko pictures / images . Fashionmodeldirectory.com. Retrieved 4 September 2011. and appeared in the Victoria's Secret catalogue. In 1998, she features in the music video of French Raï style singer Faudel called "Tellement Je T'aime".
One of her first acting appearances was in Seal's music video "Love's Divine" in 2003, but her film career truly began in France in 2004 when she shot her first feature film, The Ring Finger, for which she received the certificate of excellence award at the 2006 Brooklyn International Film Festival for her performance. She next starred in the Paris, je t'aime (2006) segment opposite Elijah Wood. That same year, she was selected to be the face of Kenzo's new fragrance, Kenzo Amour. She has appeared in all subsequent Kenzo Amour advertisements.
Kurylenko quit modelling in 2006, after more than ten years of working in the industry, and moved on to acting. In 2007, she starred in Hitman alongside Timothy Olyphant. She had a minor role in Max Payne as Natasha.
She played Bond girl Camille Montes in the 2008 James Bond film, Quantum of Solace (after beating out Gal Gadot in the auditions). In the film she plays the role of Bolivian Secret Service agent Camille Montes, who teams up with Bond to stop a terrorist organization and avenge the death of her parents.The Bond Girl Olga Kuryelenko on . Thebondgirls.info. Retrieved 4 September 2011. Russian politician Sergey Malinkovich wrote an open letter to Kurylenko. In it he said: "In the name of all communists we appeal to you ... deserter of Slavic world. The Soviet Union gave you free education, free medical care but nobody knew you would commit an act of intellectual and moral betrayal and become a movie girl of Bond, who in his movies kills hundreds of Soviet people and citizens of other socialist countries."
She was featured on the cover of the December 2008 issue of the US edition of Maxim magazine and on the cover of the February 2009 issue of the Ukrainian edition of Maxim. In Ukraine the mayor of Berdyansk suggested naming a street after her in early 2008, and she and her mother met Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko in President Victor Yushchenko's family country house.
Kurylenko appeared in Terrence Malick's romantic drama film To the Wonder starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. The film was shot in the fall of 2010 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She also appeared in Oblivion, a science fiction film starring Tom Cruise and directed by Joseph Kosinski. Kurylenko played Alice Fournier in the spy thriller November Man. In 2014, Kurylenko starred in the historical drama film The Water Diviner alongside Russell Crowe (who made his directorial debut), Jacqueline McKenzie and Jai Courtney. She also played the headmistress in Vampire Academy. She later acted in films such as Momentum, Mara and The Bay of Silence.
In 2017, she appeared in Armando Iannucci's political satire film The Death of Stalin as the Soviet pianist Maria Yudina. The film was a critical success and starred Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jason Isaacs, Michael Palin, and Jeffrey Tambor. The following year she starred in Terry Gilliam's epic adventure film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce where it premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. She also appeared as Baroness Roxane de Giverny in The Emperor of Paris, and as the Russian spy in the Rowan Atkinson led comedy film Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).
In 2021, she starred in the action thriller film Sentinelle. In the same year, she played Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Black Widow. In October, she was cast in comedy heist film High Heat alongside Don Johnson.
Personal life Kurylenko acquired French citizenship in 2001, which she called "a practical decision" because it was easier to travel with a French passport without a visa, as opposed to travelling with a Ukrainian passport. In 2000, Kurylenko married French fashion photographer Cédric van Mol, whom she divorced four years later. In 2006, Kurylenko married American mobile phone accessory entrepreneur Damian Gabrielle, whom she divorced the next year. She moved to London in 2009. Ольга Куриленко: Из окна своей квартиры я вижу Эйфелеву башню , Komsomolskaya Pravda Ukraine (23 October 2009) Kurylenko has a son with her former partner, English actor and writer Max Benitz, whom she met in 2014.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Director NotesRef. 2005 The Ring Finger Iris Diane Bertrand2006 Paris, je t'aime The Vampire Vincenzo Natali Segment: Quartier de la Madeleine The Serpent Sofia Éric Barbier 2007 Hitman Nika Boronina Xavier Gens2008 À l'est de moi (To My East) The Russian prostitute Bojena Horackova Max Payne Natasha Sax John Moore Quantum of Solace Camille Montes Marc Forster 2009 The Assassin Next Door Galia Danny Lerner 2010 Centurion Etain Neil Marshall2011 There Be Dragons Ildiko Roland Joffé Land of Oblivion Anya Michale Boganim Also executive producer2012 Erased Anna Brandt Philipp Stölzl To the Wonder Marina Terrence Malick Seven Psychopaths Angela Martin McDonagh 2013 Oblivion Julia Rusakova Harper Joseph Kosinski2014 Vampire Academy Ellen Kirova Mark Waters The November Man Alice Fournier/Mira Filipova Roger Donaldson The Water Diviner Ayshe Russell Crowe2015 A Perfect Day Katya Fernando León de Aranoa Momentum Alex Farraday Stephen S. Campanelli 2016 The Correspondence Amy Giuseppe Tornatore2017 The Death of Stalin Maria Yudina Armando Iannucci Gun Shy Sheila Simon West 2018 Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume) Anna Daniel Roby The Man Who Killed Don Quixote Jacqui Terry Gilliam Mara Kate Fuller Clive Tonge Johnny English Strikes Again Ophelia David Kerr The Emperor of Paris Baroness Roxane of Giverny Jean-François Richet2019 L'Intervention Jane Anderson Fred Grivois The Room Kate Christian Volckman The Courier The Courier Zackary Adler The Translators Katerina Anisinova Rėgis Roinsard 2020 The Bay of Silence Rosalind Paula van der Oest2021 Sentinelle Klara Julien Leclercq Black Widow Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster Cate Shortland2022 Vanishing Alice Denis Dercourt Korean-French Film White Elephant Vanessa Flynn Jesse V. Johnson The Princess Moira Le-Van Kiet High Heat Ana Zach Golden2023 Extraction 2 Mia Sam Hargrave Boudica: The Queen of War Boudica Jesse V. Johnson Paradox Effect Karina Scott Weintrob 2024 Chief of Station Krystyna Kowerski Jesse V. Johnson 2025 Thunderbolts* Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster Jake Schreier Fox Hunt Elsa Leo Zhang Other Alice David Moreau Afterburn Drea J. J. Perry Turbulence Julia Claudio Fäh 2026 Alter ego Tatiana Chambon Nicolas & Bruno My Sister's Bones Dr. Shaw Heidi Greensmith British Film Misdirection Sara Black Kevin LewisThe Three Urns The Woman in Black John-Paul Davidson & Stephen Warbeck Empires of the Deep The Mermaid Queen Jonathan Lawrence, Michael French, & Scott Miller Principal photography took place ca. 2009-2014 and is currently pending release due to development hell process
Television Year Title Role Director NotesRef. 2001Largo Winch Carole TV series (1 Episode : "Contessa Vanessa") 2006Le porte-bonheur Sophia Laurent Dussaux TV movie 2007Suspectes Eva Pirès TV miniseries (7 episodes) 2010 Tyranny Mina Harud John Beck Hofmann TV series (5 episodes); also writer 2012–2013 Magic City Vera Evans Mainly Ed Bianchi and Simon Cellan Jones TV series (16 episodes) 2014 Mission Control NASA broadcasting news Will Ferrell Episode 13: Go Home 2020 Wonderland, the girl from the shore Alice Hervé Hadmar 6 episodes 2022 Treason Kara Yusova TV miniseries (5 episodes) 2023 Of Money and Blood Julia Xavier Giannoli and Frederic Planchon TV miniseries 2025 Super Mâles Léna Olivier Rosemberg and Noémie Saglio TV miniseries
Video game Year Title Role NotesRef. 2008 007: Quantum of Solace Camille Montes (voice)
Awards and nominations + List of Olga Kurylenko award nominations and awards won Year Awards Category Recipient ResultRef. 2005 Brooklyn International Film Festival Best Actress The Ring Finger 2008 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Quantum of Solace 2009 Empire Awards Best Actress Quantum of Solace 2012 Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Cast Seven Psychopaths 2012 San Diego Film Critics Society Award Best Performance by an Ensemble Seven Psychopaths
Notes
References
External links
Olga Kurylenko instagram