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Milla Jovovich - Biography

The model turned actress known for her role in the Resident Evil film franchise was born in 1975

Milla Jovovich smiling in a blue dress on some stairs
Hannah Watkin
Content Writer
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Milla Natasha Jovovich (born Milica) was born December 17, 1975, the daughter of Bogich Jovovich, a Yugoslavian doctor, and Golina Loganiva, a Soviet actress. Born in Kiev, Ukraine in what was then known as the USSR, she and her family left their life in Europe to head to the US when she was just five years old.

Young career

The family settled in California, where Bogich and Golina worked as housekeepers for famed director Brian De Palma. After discovering the joys of LA living as a young girl, Milla was scouted for her looks and at age just eleven became Lei magazine's youngest cover star. 

Often compared with former child model Brooke Shields, within three years Milla had successfully launched a Hollywood career in films including Return to the Blue Lagoon. Aged just 15, she was an international model and well-known actress. 

Personal Life

Milla shocked everyone in 1992 when she suddenly eloped in 1993 aged 16. The marriage, to her 21-year-old Dazed and Confused co-star Shawn Andrews, was annulled after two months. In 1997, Milla married 38-year-old The Fifth Element director Luc Besson in Las Vegas, but the union ended in divorce after 18 months. 

Milla was once again ready to take the plunge, however, when she got engaged to film director Paul Anderson, with whom she worked on 2002's Resident Evil. Their daughter, Ever Gabo Anderson, was born on November 3, 2007 and the couple finally found time to tie the knot in 2009. The couple welcomed a second daughter, Dashiel Edan, in 2015, and a thrid, Osian Lark Elliot, in 2020. 

Continued success

In contrast to her glamorous modelling career, Milla has often chosen to take a different route in her films. Amongst her many on screen roles, the actress has starred as a bio-engineered creature in The Fifth Element, sported 50 lbs of armor to play the eponymous hero in Joan Of Arc, and looked the part playing a commando unit leader in the Resident Evil film series. 

Music career

Although she's shared the screen with heavy-hitters including Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington, acting isn't the Zoolander's star's first calling. Instead, Milla has claimed to prefer music. The singer and guitarist released her debut album in 1994, and has since continued releasing music – such as her 2012 single 'Electric Sky'.

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