Which world celebrities have Russian roots or come from the CIS countries

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

"Ours are everywhere!" And this is not only about Turkish resorts. Many Hollywood stars have Russian roots, some are proud of them, others simply do not hide. In any case, such details become a discovery for fans, because looking at some of the celebrities, you can't imagine that they are visiting a grandmother who lives somewhere near Vladivostok.

David Duchovny

He always emphasizes that he feels half Russian. Many of his relatives are from Russia and Scotland. David is a second generation American migrant. His grandfather, a Russian Jew, migrated from Ukraine to the United States. The actor himself assures that the most frequent question he has to hear when it comes to his origin is “did not his Russian grandfather serve in the KGB?” The actor does not speak Russian, and tells his children that they are real Americans, after all blood flows in them, in which many different nationalities are mixed.

Sylvester Stallone

The actor himself was born in New York, his father came to the States, leaving his homeland of Sicily. But his mother was born in Odessa. Some of their relatives still live in Ukraine, Sylvester's mother is looking for them. Stallone recognizes his roots. Not so long ago, a brand selling vodka invited him to star in their ad. The actor had to utter a phrase with the statement that each of us is a little Russian. Stallone gave his consent.

Leonardo DiCaprio

The actor's grandmother is Elizaveta Smirnova, she was very little taken from the country to Germany, and her daughter, Leo's mother, remained for permanent residence in the United States. He never hid his Russian roots, moreover, even in a conversation with Putin (this happened!), He emphasized that the name of his ancestors was the Smirnovs, and he himself was half Russian.

Leo has an award for his outstanding contribution to the development of world cinema, signed by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, and he also played Grigory Rasputin. By the way, collages have been circulating on the Internet for a long time, confirming the outstanding resemblance of Leo to … Lenin.

Mila Kunis

The actress was born in Ukraine, but when the girl was 7 years old, her parents took her to the USA, they moved there from the USSR for a better future. This was a great challenge for the girl, she recalls that she felt blind and deaf, at the same time she needed to learn. She worked hard on herself in order to speak without an accent. Mila speaks Russian and speaks fluently in it, she is proud of her roots and often says that she has features that are inherent in her compatriots - she does not succumb to difficulties and knows how to stubbornly resist them.

Nicole Scherzinger

Hardly anyone knows that the hot brunette Nicole is also called Praskovya. With a double name, the parents paid tribute to her Russian roots, because her mother is half Russian. Her Russian grandmother lived in Vladivostok. She inherited her bright appearance from her Philippian father. The girl herself considers herself a Russian American and often said that her close friends call her Pasha. Apparently because Praskovya is too difficult for Americans (although, I must admit, it is difficult even for Russian speakers).

Whoopi Goldberg

But what really surprises is the Russian roots of the dark-skinned Whoopi Goldberg. By the way, her surname belongs to her grandmother, who was a native of Odessa. The official surname of the comedian actress is quite American, without a European flavor - Johnson. It was her mother who suggested to the future star that their name Goldberg would be suitable for her pseudonym Whoopi. The actress was born in New York and has never particularly advertised her Slavic roots, although she does not hide them.

Michael Douglas

For many, Douglas is the personification of a true American - he is pragmatic and strong-willed. But the actor has Russian roots, his grandfather left Russia, because he did not want to go to war, then there was a Russian-Japanese one. The surname of his grandfather was Danielovich-Demsky, it was with her that he arrived in the United States. However, a little later, he changed his surname to a more familiar to the locals - Douglas. Since then, the Douglases with Russian roots have firmly settled on American soil, creating an acting dynasty, one of the founders of which is Michael Douglas.

Gwyneth Paltrow

The surname of the actress, or rather her ancestors, sounded like Paltrovich. It is in her that the Slavic roots are read, which are in the dazzling blonde. Her relatives, in particular her father, were from Russia and lived in Minsk. He migrated to America, and there his surname was slightly modified to match the local pronunciation. The actress is proud of her roots, you can often hear from her that she is part of the amazing Russian nation.

Liv Tyler

The actress herself, although she knows that she has Russian roots, never understood them in detail and did not look for relatives. The Russian ancestors were, but she does not know who exactly the great-grandmother or the great-grandfather. Despite the fact that she also has Indian roots, Liv Tyler can trace a certain attraction to Russia, she looked too harmoniously in the image of a ruddy and embarrassed Tatyana Larina in the film adaptation of Eugene Onegin in a Hollywood manner.

Robert Downey Jr

The father of one of the highest paid actors left the USSR in search of a better paid job. When he got to the states, it suddenly occurred to him to become an actor, and he began to develop in this direction (well, what, quite a worthy paid profession). Downey Jr. does not speak Russian, but repeatedly, during press conferences, to everyone's joy, he emphasized that the Russian approach to the work of an actor is closest to him. Well, the idea of Downey Sr. succeeded, he provided a decent job not only for himself, but also for his son.

Winona Ryder

The actress's father was born into a Jewish family in Minsk, he belongs to the same Russian Jews. Winona herself has been living in California since the age of five, where she studied acting and took the first steps in her career. Ironically, Winona's first role was as a Jewish girl in Desert Flower. Winona herself does not particularly like to spread about her origin and has never been to Russia.

Harrison Ford

Ford calls himself 100% American and emphasizes that he sees no need to remember his ancestors who lived a long time ago. His great-grandfather lived in Minsk and then moved to the States. There is no exact information about whether he moved with his family or alone. Despite everything, the 100% American, according to rumors, was looking for relatives in the countries of the former CIS and in Russia, how successful - history is silent. But one thing he certainly does not occupy - the Russian character and fortitude.

Natalie Portman

Great-grandmother Natalie was a Russian Jew and lived in Odessa. First, she moved to Israel, it was there that Natalie was born, and then the family moved to Washington. Natalie has never been to her small homeland, but in her childhood they often spoke Russian, so the girl, albeit very poorly, is able to understand Russian. But at the same time, the actress often calls her Russian-Jewish roots an important part of her personality. By the way, she doesn't mind if she is sometimes called Natasha, and not Natalie, in the Russian manner.

Helen Mirrer

At birth, her name was Elena Mironova and she was the granddaughter of Peter Mironov, an employee of the Russian government committee in London. Rumor has it that he never returned to Russia, because he could not accept the revolution and its consequences. Her father also changed his name from Vasily to Basil and married an Englishwoman. The change of surname and first name became a necessary measure, Elena-Helen remembers and honors her Russian roots, periodically visiting her relatives who still live in Russia.

Milla Jovovich

The star of "The Fifth Element" is perhaps the most famous actress with Russian roots, who advertises this and always mentions it on occasion. Her father is from Ukraine, and her mother is Russian. The family first lived in Dnepropetrovsk, and then the Jovovichs moved to London, and then to the States. Mille was 5 years old at that time. The actress speaks Russian badly, but she always tries to do it, especially when she comes to Moscow, apparently this way she feels dearer and closer to the Russians.

Steven Spielberg

Both of the director's grandfathers are from Russia, and in his interviews he repeatedly talked about the fact that Russian and Jewish traditions were always honored in his family. But apparently Spielberg himself did not really honor them, because he speaks Russian very badly, knows just a few words. Spielberg's favorite dish is borscht. The truth who exactly prepares the soup with the national flavor for the director remains a mystery. By the way, there are also Russians in their family. The husband of the director's sister is a distant relative of Boris Pasternak.

Pamela Anderson

The great-grandmother of the actress on her mother's side moved from Russia to Holland, and then to Canada. Of course, the star of "Rescuers Malibu" does not speak Russian and does not know traditions, but he respects his roots. During her arrival in Vladivostok, she was taught a few Russian words. It is not for nothing that they say that the most beautiful and talented children are born from the mixing of blood, however, stars often use their origins in order to become closer and dearer to the inhabitants of a particular country. Besides, many celebrities use pseudonyms or change names, therefore, it is almost impossible to guess about their origin on your own.