Chulpan Khamatova

Background

Born in Kazan, Tatar ASSR, in what was then the Soviet Union. Her parents are both engineers, and her father is managing director of a firm. She originally studied mathematics and economics in Kazan before switching to acting. She later continued her acting studies at Moscow State University and the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, and became a successful stage actress.

She is fluent in Russian, German, English, and Portuguese.

Career

Khamatova has starred in a number of German language films as well as in numerous Russian feature films and TV serials. She is known internationally for starring in Good Bye Lenin! (2003), as Lara, the girlfriend of the main character and his mother's nurse.

She was on the six-person jury, which was headed by Catherine Deneuve, at the Venice Film Festival in 2006.

Social activity

Chulpan Khamatova is known for her social activities, she draws public attention to the problems of children with cancer. In 2005 Dina Korzun and Chulpan Khamatova organized concert "Give me life" at the stage of Sovremennik Theatre to help children with hematological diseases. In 2006 Chulpan became a co-founder of the charity fund Gift of Life, which helps children suffering from oncological and hematological diseases. By the summer of 2009 the fund has collected and sent for treatment of these diseases more than 500 million rubles. On 7 February 2014 she was one of the eight people who carried the Olympic flag into the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi.

Family

Khamatova was married to the Russian actor and composer Ivan Volkov from 1995 to 2002. As of 2003, she dated ballet-dancer Aleksei Dubin. Starting from 2009 she dated Russian actor and director Alexander Shein. She has three daughters: Arina, Asya and Iya.

Awards

Roles in theater