Childhood and youth
The future star was born in Wimbledon, England on April 18, 1988. Vanessa's father is a urological surgeon, and her mother is the editor of the glossy publication Country Living. As Kirby herself later admitted in an interview, her dreams of an acting career appeared after the play “The Cherry Orchard” (based on the work of Anton Chekhov), in which actress Vanessa Redgrave was involved. The namesake's performance delighted Vanessa Kirby so much that she also decided to try her hand at performing arts.
Vanessa Kirby as a child
However, the stage did not lend itself to Vanessa Kirby the first time: one of the Bristol theater studios rejected the girl’s candidacy. Then Vanessa applied to the University of Exeter, choosing the department of her native language, but did not give up trying to enter the drama school. Kirby's perseverance and determination were rewarded - some time later she managed to enter the London Academy of Dramatic Art.
Around the same time, the girl met director David Tucker, who became Vanessa's agent and helped her get her first roles in the theater.
Vanessa Kirby
British theater, film and television actress.
KinoPoisk: https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/2211756 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3948952
She is best known for her role as Estella in the BBC adaptation of Great Expectations.
Vanessa Kirby was born in 1988, in the family of a glossy magazine editor and a surgeon. She decided to become an actress after seeing her namesake Vanessa Redgrave in a production of The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre. The Old Vic Theater School in Bristol rejected Vanessa Kirby's candidacy, and the girl spent a year traveling in Africa. In order not to waste time, she entered the Faculty of English at the University of Exter, but soon her efforts were crowned with success: Vanessa Kirby received a place at the London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Art.
However, Vanessa Kirby refused the long-awaited offer, signed a contract with an agent and met David Tucker, the head of the Octagon Theater in Bolton. He approved the aspiring actress for three main roles in the productions of “All My Sons,” “The Phantom” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2009.
Following the premiere of her first play, an adaptation of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, Vanessa Kirby received the BIZA Rising Star award at the Manchester Theater Festival. She has been nominated several times for the Ian Charleson Award. Her name in theatrical circles was as well known as the names of Ben Whishaw and Benedict Cumberbatch. Vanessa Kirby became a star of the British theater stage: she played on the stage of the National Theater, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and was involved in the play “The Acid Test" at the Royal Theatre.
In 2011, Vanessa Kirby made her film debut in the serial film “The Hour” on the BBC channel. Her partners on the set were Ben Whishaw, Dominic West and Romola Garai. Then the actress received the role of Estella in the film adaptation of the legendary novel Great Expectations.
In addition, Vanessa Kirby received the main role, archaeologist Alice Tanner, in the mini-series Labyrinth by Ridley Scott, an adaptation of the novel of the same name. This film combines two storylines: in one of them, a girl from the Middle Ages saves her life and tries to unravel the secrets of the symbols of three sacred books, and in the other, Vanessa Kirby’s heroine is looking for a clue to the disappearance of the Cathar movement, the guardians of the Holy Grail, in the dungeon of the French city of Carcassonne.
In 2012, it became known that Vanessa Kirby would star in the action film “The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman” with Shia LaBeouf (Shia Leboeuf) and in the fantasy melodrama “About Time” with Rachel McAdams ( Rachel McAdams).
In the fall of 2013, Vanessa Kirby will play the role of Masha in Chekhov's production of Three Sisters at the Young Vic Theater.
Movies
Vanessa first appeared on screen two years later - in 2011. The actress was invited to play a role in the mini-series “The Hour,” which tells about the everyday life of journalists. Despite the fact that Kirby only appeared in three episodes of the project, these shootings were a great experience for the girl. In addition, Vanessa was lucky enough to work with Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, and Anna Chancellor.
Vanessa Kirby in the series "Great Expectations"
Immediately after the first filming, the talented actress was noticed. The girl began to be invited to other projects. Vanessa Kirby's filmography was replenished with a couple of TV series that never became popular, and then the actress got a role that gave her real fame. We are talking about working in a mini-series called “Great Expectations.” This film adaptation of the work of the same name by the writer Charles Dickens did not leave the audience indifferent.
In Great Expectations, Vanessa Kirby played the role of Estella, the protagonist's friend and adopted daughter of Lady Havisham. Douglas Booth, Ray Winstone, and David Suchet also played in the series. A year after the premiere, in 2012, this project won several Emmy awards in various categories, as well as three BAFTA TV awards.
Great Expectations stars Harry Lloyd, Vanessa Kirby and Douglas Booth
Feature films also appeared in Vanessa Kirby's professional biography. The first such work was the crime thriller “Wasteland” directed by Rowan Atala. A year later, the actress starred in the comedy film “Boyfriend from the Future,” proving to herself and the audience that she fits into any character well.
The girl’s performance in the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” also earned positive reviews. The British theater prepared this production specifically for filming. Here, Vanessa Kirby's stage partners were Gillian Anderson, Ben Foster, and Claire Burt. The teleplay itself became another adaptation of the work of Tennessee Williams, which was first shown on screen in 1951. Then the main characters of this dramatic love story were played by the inimitable Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando.
Vanessa Kirby in the movie Jupiter Ascending
In 2020, the film “Jupiter Ascending” was released, where Vanessa Kirby’s professional path crossed with actors Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Sean Bean. This fantastic action movie, contrary to the expectations of the directors and crew, ended up on the list of failed projects and even received several Golden Raspberry anti-award nominations for worst script, worst director and worst acting.
Vanessa Kirby on the set of Future Boyfriend
Although this failure upset Vanessa Kirby, it did not break the actress’s determination and self-confidence. In the same year, the girl starred in the films “Everest” by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur, “The Dresser” (with Anthony Hopkins and Emily Watson), and also received a role in the series “The Chronicles of Frankenstein” based on the work of Mary Shelley.
Vanessa Kirby in the film "The Crown"
2016 turned out to be no less eventful with roles and projects for Vanessa Kirby. Then the actress’s filmography was replenished with the film “Genius,” a biographical film about the friendship of writer Thomas Wolfe with publisher Max Perkins. This drama brought together a truly stellar cast of actors in one frame: in addition to Vanessa Kirby, the film featured Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Colin Firth. Also in 2020, Stephen Gomez’s spectacular action film “Destroy Team” was released, in which the actress played the main role.
Another brilliant film of 2016 is the drama “Me Before You.” Here Vanessa Kirby was lucky enough to work with actors Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman. At the same time, the series “The Crown” was released, where Vanessa got the role of the British princess Margaret Rose.
BIOGRAPHY OF OLGA USHAKOVA
Olga Ushakova is a Russian TV presenter, known for her work on Channel One news and on the Good Morning program. Finalist of the prestigious television award “TEFI-2017”.
Olga Ushakova was born in Crimea on April 7, 1981 in a large family. Since Olga’s father was a military man, the family had to change cities in Russia and Ukraine every six months, or even less.
Naturally, at school Olga had problems in relationships with new classmates, and the future TV presenter had to defend her honor even with her fists; conflicts were often of a national nature.
However, Olga quickly found a common language with other classmates, and in high school she easily achieved authority.
Establishing communications with different people turned out to be a very useful skill for a career in television, which Olga had dreamed of since childhood.
As a little girl, she picked up a newspaper and imitated the style of television announcers, and for the sake of an impromptu interview, Olga picked up a comb (as a “microphone”) and pestered her acquaintances, bombarding them with questions.
Already at the age of 16, Olga graduated from school with a gold medal, moved to Kharkov and entered the university.
In fact, she began an independent life, and she had to earn extra money, and over time, together with her boyfriend (whose name Olga never named), she began to do business.
By the age of 23, she became the head of the Ukrainian branch of an international company that promoted large brands.
TV presenter career
Olga did not stay as the head of the branch for long, as she moved to Moscow with her young man. It was then that she remembered her childhood dream and decided to try her hand at television, especially since the capital opened up enormous opportunities. During body tests, they noticed the photogenic Olga, but they pointed out her southern accent.
The girl was nevertheless hired as an intern, where she trained speech techniques, searched for informational reasons for news stories, and wrote them. In 2005, Olga became the presenter of morning news on Channel One, broadcasting to the eastern regions of Russia (alternating with Andrei Ukharev for a week).
In 2009, Olga Ushakova appeared on the screen again, but as a presenter of the nightly news of Channel One, broadcasting to Central Russia. A year later, the “Other News” program was added to Olga’s responsibilities, the main focus of which was apolitical stories.
In 2014, Ushakova began working as the host of the Good Morning program. At that time, the program underwent significant changes: the composition of the presenters became “younger,” and the headings and topics for the stories were also updated.
Such innovations benefited the program, and in 2020 the Good Morning program received the TEFI award. After 2 years, the program was again rewarded with this prestigious award, and Olga Ushakova herself (together with Sergei Babaev) was among the finalists in the “Morning Program Host” nomination.
Despite the work schedule of the leading morning program, in which you need to wake up at 3 a.m. and literally have breakfast on the go, Olga Ushakova likes her own work. She is still filled with that sunny optimism that she is ready to share with the whole country.
Personal life
Vanessa Kirby's personal life also often became the subject of discussion among fans and journalists, as well as her professional successes. After the release of the series “Great Expectations,” the media started talking about the actress’s affair with her co-star Douglas Booth.
Vanessa Kirby and Tom Cruise
Joint photos of Vanessa and Douglas appeared on Instagram and other social networks, which viewers considered indisputable evidence of their romance. However, the actors themselves refused to comment on rumors about this relationship, leaving the public in the dark.
Vanessa Kirby with Tom Cruise
But we know for sure about Vanessa Kirby’s new boyfriend: he is actor Tom Cruise. Despite the fact that after a high-profile divorce from Katie Holmes, the man tries not to advertise the details of matters of the heart, he made an exception for his affair with Vanessa, admitting to journalists his romantic feelings for the girl. Who knows, perhaps the charismatic actor will manage to become the husband of a talented beauty.
