Milla Jovovich wears many career hats as an accomplished actress, supermodel, fashion designer, singer, and more. She is mostly known for her acting roles in films such as The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006), and her groundbreaking portrayal of Alice in the action horror film franchise Resident Evil. Her roles in action movies earned her a reputation as the reigning queen of the genre. In the course of her illustrious career, Jovovich has shared the screen with Hollywood icons such as Stellan Skarsgård, Robert Downey Jr., and Chris Hemsworth to name a few.
Other notable films that shot Jovovich to international fame include Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991), The Fifth Element (1997), and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). Beyond her exploits in the cinematic realm, Milla Jovovich garnered fame in the modeling industry before she became a movie star. Appearing on many magazine covers and working with big fashion brands gave her the exposure she needed to face the fame Hollywood brought to her.
1. Milla Jovovich Is Of Ukrainian and Montenegrin Descent
Born on December 17, 1975, in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Milla Jovovich hails from a mixed background. Her father, Bogdan Jovović is a Serbian pediatrician who hails from Belgrade Serbia, but relocated to Russia where he married her mother. Her mother, Galina Jovović (née Loginova), is a Russian actress from Tula, in Moscow, Russian SFSR where Jovovich spent her early childhood. Her family left the Soviet Union when she was five years old, settling in London, and later immigrated to Los Angeles in the United States. In Los Angeles, Milla Jovovich attended public schools and became fluent in English within three months. She is also fluent in Russian and Ukrainian. Jovovich naturalized as an American citizen at the age of 19.
2. She Married Her Third Husband in 2009
Mila Jovovich married her first husband at the age of 16. Her Dazed and Confused (1993) on-screen boyfriend, Shawn Andrews, who was 21 at the time eloped with her to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they exchanged vows. However, the marriage was annulled by her mother because she was underage. Her next husband was The Fifth Element director Luc Besson who she married in Las Vegas in 1997. The marriage was also short-lived as they divorced in 1999. She subsequently dated other men, including John Frusciante and Anno Birkin before meeting her third husband, Paul W.S. Anderson.
Anderson and Milla Jovovich met on the set of Resident Evil (2002) which he wrote and directed. He proposed to her in 2003 and they married on August 22, 2009, after four years of on-and-off engagement. Jovovich has remained married to Anderson as of the time of writing this piece and they seem happy raising a family together. Anderson often casts her in his films
3. Milla Jovovich Has Three Daughters With Her Third Husband
Before they became officially married, Milla Jovovich welcomed her first child with Anderson on November 3, 2007, a daughter named Ever Anderson. Ever was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Four months later, Jovovich went back to work to commence filming A Perfect Getaway (2009). The actress welcomed her second daughter Dashiel Edan, on April 1, 2015, at the same medical center. After miscarrying in 2017, Jovich became pregnant again in 2019 and gave birth to her third daughter, Osian Lark Elliot, on February 2, 2020. The family of five resides in Los Angeles and New York City.
4. She Has Appeared On Over 100 Magazine Covers
Before she became a globally acclaimed movie star, Mila Jovovich was already an accomplished model. She was a child model who appeared in Revlon’s “Most Unforgettable Women in the World” promotions at the age of 11. She worked with legendary fashion photographer Richard Avedon on the project. In addition to Avedon, Jovovich’s early exploits as a model have seen her work with talented photographers like Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh.
So far, she has graced the cover of over 100 magazines across the globe, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Marie Claire, and Harper’s Bazaar. As a runway model, Jovovich has walked the ramp for Balmain, Versace, and Fendi to mention a few. She has also joined campaigns for Christian Dior, Jimmy Choo, Calvin Klein, Prada, Guess?, Tiffany & Co., and Tommy Hilfiger among several others. In 2003, Jovovich teamed up with model Carmen Hawk to create the clothing line Jovovich–Hawk but the project came to an end in 2008.
5. Milla Jovovich Performed Most Of Her Stunts In Resident Evil
Milla Jovovich gained international acclaim for her depiction of Alice, the action heroine in the Resident Evil franchise. Loosely based on the Capcom video game of the same name, Resident Evil garnered a cult following, especially with Jovovich’s perfect portrayal of Alice who is tasked with killing zombies. Interestingly, Jovovich performed her stunts in the film by herself and the reason she accepted the role was that she’s a fan of the video game alongside her brother. Jolvovich is claustrophobic but she had to deal with the scene in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) where her character was put in a small tank.
