Born in the Ukraine in 1975,
Milla Jovovich seemed destined to a
simple life. Milla's parents, a Serbian pediatrician and a Russian
stage actress, moved to the
US when
she was
six to offer her a better
opportunity. It wasn't
long before that decision began to pay off for Milla. Beginning to model by the age of nine, by twelve she had been named
one of Revlon's "Most Unforgettable
Women in
the World." It was shortly after that she began began acting, appearing first in
Two-Moon Junction, which led to a starring role in the unfortunate
sequel Return to the Blue Lagoon. Despite her beuty and natural acting
ability,
she failed to gain clout in the film
industry as
quickly as she had in modeling. Subjugated to smaller fluff roles in such films as
Kuffs and
Dazed and Confused, Milla left the movie business breifly to continue her
focus on modeling as well as her budding interest in singing. The on-screen
chemistry between her and
Dazed and Confused costar
Shawn Andrews resulted in a fleeting marrige that didn't last the year. In 1994
she released her first album
Milla: The Divine Comedy. While
she enjoyed singing, she still wanted to
give acting a
second chance. It wasn't until 1997 that she returned to the
big screen in
The Fifth Element. Milla and director
Luc Besson began a tumultuous relationship and soon married. Bouyed by favorable reviews,
she took on other roles in
Spike Lee's He Got Game and her first starring role in
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, directed by husband,
Besson. Continuing her modeling and singing, Milla took on more supporting roles he had more an interest in. Her marrige to Besson became strained, and
she filed for divorce in 1999. Feeling most comfortable in
front of the camera, she appeared in
Ben Stiller's
Zoolander, which spoofed the very
industry that gave her her start. Not afraid to take risks, Milla most recently appeared in the
video game
inspired movie,
Resident Evil, which has
Ben planned as a possible trilogy. All the while,
she continues to model, and sing. Milla is happiest in the
spotlight.
