A Celebration of Ukrainian Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2015-11-14

Olga Kurylenko Camille Quantum of Solace

Birthday of the lovely Ukrainian-born actress Olga Kurylenko who got her international breakthrough in the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace opposite Daniel Craig directed by Marc Forster.

With this page, From Sweden with Love would like to celebrate the work of Olga Kurylenko.

"Dear Olga, happy birthday and much love from Sweden."

About actress Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kurylenko has garnered international recognition for her critically acclaimed work in film and television. Her most recent films include Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin, in which Olga starred alongside Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin, and Simon Russell Beale, as well as Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, with Adam Driver and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard. She also co-stars in the comedy Salty opposite Antonio Banderas.

2016 saw the release Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore’s romantic drama The Correspondence. The film, shot in Italy and Edinburgh, follows the love affair between a professor (Jeremy Irons) and a younger woman (Kurylenko) working in the same field.

In 2015 Olga played the female lead appeared in Russell Crowe’s directorial debut The Water Diviner, an epic adventure set against the stunning backdrop of the Australian Outback and post World War I Turkey. Crowe plays the protagonist who travels to Turkey in search of his three sons, supposedly lost in the battle of Gallipoli. In October 2015, Olga played the role of ‘Katya’ in Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s drama A Perfect Day opposite Bond alumni Benicio Del Toro (Licence to Kill). The film was screened at the London Film Festival and released in the US in January 2016.

In August 2014, Olga starred in spy thriller The November Man, adapted from the novel ‘There Are No Spies’ by Bill Granger. Olga plays the lead female role of ‘Alice Fournier’, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Luke Bracey and the film was released in the US on 27th August. Prior to this, Olga was seen in Weinstein’s Vampire Academy, in which she plays headmistress ‘Kivova’, alongside Zoey Deutch and Danila Kozlovsky. The fantasy film, directed by Mark Waters was released in February 2014 in the US.

In 2013, Olga starred in sci-fi thriller Oblivion opposite Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Olga plays the mysterious ‘Julia’, ‘Jacks’ (Cruise) love interest. The film was released worldwide in April 2013 and grossed over 300 USD million internationally. At the same time, she was also seen in the lead role in Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder. Olga plays stand out protagonist ‘Marina’ opposite another Bond alumni, Javier Bardem (Skyfall), and Ben Affleck. Critics singled out her performance; Variety wrote ‘the radiant Olga... gives a physically vivacious turn with a deeply melancholy core’, Collider commented ‘Olga has never been better’, and Indiewire observed ‘Olga is a revelation. The actress is luminous in the part Marina and her heartbreaking turn should open a lot of doors for her.’

Also in 2013, Olga was seen starring opposite Aaron Eckhart in Erased, directed by Philip Stolzl and as ‘Vera Evans’ wife to Ike (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in Mitch Glazer’s critically acclaimed television series Magic City. The second series premiered on STARZ in the US in June 2013.

In late 2012, Olga had a cameo role in hit independent feature Seven Psychopaths, with Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Bond alumni Christopher Walken (A View to a Kill), and Tom Waits.

2011 saw Olga take the female lead in the emotional story of love, betrayal and personal sacrifice, set in the time of the Spanish Civil War, entitled There Be Dragons, from director Roland Joffe. She also starred in Michale Boganim's Land of Oblivion about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Olga first came to the attention of the international film industry in 2008 when she starred as ‘Camille’ opposite Daniel Craig’s ‘James Bond’ in Quantum of Solace, directed by Marc Forster.

Olga’s other notable feature film credits include Hitman, directed by Xavier Gens, John Moore’s Max Payne, where she starred opposite Mark Wahlberg, John Beck Hofmann’s Tyranny, and Centurion, by director Neil Marshall, alongside Dominic West and Michael Fassbender.

Her early career was established in France. She gave her debut performance as a leading actress, in the role of Iris, in Diane Bertrand’s L’Annulaire (aka as The Ring Finger) and followed this with a role starring alongside Elijah Wood in Paris Je T’Aime, an independent film in which a cooperative of acclaimed international directors told their stories of Paris. In 2006, Olga played ‘Sofia’ in Eric Barbier’s acclaimed thriller, Le Serpent, co-starring with French luminaries Yvan Attal, Clovis Cornillac and Pierre Richard.

Amongst Olga Kurylenko's nominations and awards as an actress are:

• Winner of Best Actress at Brooklyn International Film Festival 2006 for L'annulaire
• Nominated for Best Actress at the Empire Awards 2009 for her role in Quantum of Solace
• Nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Saturn Awards 2009 for her role in Quantum of Solace

Photo on top:
Olga Kurylenko as Camille in Quantum of Solace. © 2008 Danjaq LLC. & Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). All rights reserved.

Follow the career of Olga Kurylenko, check out her IMDB page.

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A Celebration of Ukrainian Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko

About actress Olga Kurylenko

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