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==Biography==
==Biography==
Zelensky was born 25 January 1978 in [[Kryvyi Rih]], [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]] (now [[Ukraine]]).<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio">{{ru icon}}'''/(website has automatic [[Google Translate]] option)''' [https://file.liga.net/persons/vladimir-zelenskii Short bio], LIGA</ref><ref>// [https://ru.tsn.ua/video/video-novini/vladimir-zelenskiy-prizval-yanukovicha-vrozumitsya.html?type=2 Zelensky called Yanukovich history and asked him to leave] at Television Service of News, [[1+1 (TV channel)|Channel 1+1]], 2 March 2014 (in Russian)</ref> His father Oleksandr Semenovich Zelensky is a professor who heads an academic department of cybernetics and computing hardware at the [[Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics]], his mother Rimma Volodimirovna Zelenskaya used to work as an engineer.<ref>[https://tsn.ua/video/video-novini/volodimir-zelenskiy-rozkazav-pro-stosunki-z-batkami.html Vladimir Zelensky told about his relationship with his parents] by Television Service of News, [[1+1 (TV channel)|Channel 1+1]], 28 September 2017 (in Ukrainian)</ref><ref>[http://www.kneu.dp.ua/zelenskij-oleksandr-semenovich/ Zelensky Oleksandr Semenovich] at the [[Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics]] official website (in Ukrainian)</ref><ref name='gordon'>[https://gordonua.com/publications/zelenskiy-esli-menya-vyberut-prezidentom-snachala-budut-oblivat-gryazyu-zatem-uvazhat-a-potom-plakat-kogda-uydu-609294.html Volodymyr Zelensky] interview by [[Dmitry Gordon]] at the official website, 26 December 2018 (in Russian)</ref> Before entering [[grammar school]] he lived for four years in [[Mongolia]] in the city of [[Erdenet]] where his father worked.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/>
Zelensky was born 25 January 1978 in [[Kryvyi Rih]], [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]] (now [[Ukraine]]) to [[Jew]]ish parents.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio">{{ru icon}}'''/(website has automatic [[Google Translate]] option)''' [https://file.liga.net/persons/vladimir-zelenskii Short bio], LIGA</ref><ref>[https://ru.tsn.ua/video/video-novini/vladimir-zelenskiy-prizval-yanukovicha-vrozumitsya.html?type=2 Zelensky called Yanukovich history and asked him to leave] at Television Service of News, [[1+1 (TV channel)|Channel 1+1]], 2 March 2014 (in Russian)</ref><ref>Artur Verba. [https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/events/3390729-korrespondent-kak-zhyvut-ukraynskye-evrey How Ukrainian Jews are doing] article from [[Korrespondent]] №26, 4 July 2014 (in Russian)</ref> His father Oleksandr Semenovich Zelensky is a professor who heads an academic department of cybernetics and computing hardware at the [[Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics]], his mother Rimma Volodimirovna Zelenskaya used to work as an engineer.<ref>[https://tsn.ua/video/video-novini/volodimir-zelenskiy-rozkazav-pro-stosunki-z-batkami.html Vladimir Zelensky told about his relationship with his parents] by Television Service of News, [[1+1 (TV channel)|Channel 1+1]], 28 September 2017 (in Ukrainian)</ref><ref>[http://www.kneu.dp.ua/zelenskij-oleksandr-semenovich/ Zelensky Oleksandr Semenovich] at the [[Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics]] official website (in Ukrainian)</ref><ref name='gordon'>[https://gordonua.com/publications/zelenskiy-esli-menya-vyberut-prezidentom-snachala-budut-oblivat-gryazyu-zatem-uvazhat-a-potom-plakat-kogda-uydu-609294.html Volodymyr Zelensky] interview by [[Dmitry Gordon]] at the official website, 26 December 2018 (in Russian)</ref> Before entering [[grammar school]] he lived for four years in [[Mongolia]] in the city of [[Erdenet]] where his father worked.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/>


Zelensky studied law at the [[Kyiv National Economic University]] department in his native Kryvyi Rih, but he never professionally worked in the legal field.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name="0396374-zelenskiy"/>
At the age of sixteen he took part in a [[TOEFL]] competition in [[Dnipro]] and won an education grant to study in [[Israel]], but his father didn't let him go.<ref name='gordon' /> Zelensky studied law at the [[Kyiv National Economic University]] department in his native Kryvyi Rih, but he never professionally worked in the legal field.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name="0396374-zelenskiy"/>


Starting at the age of seventeen he became a member of the local [[KVN]] team (a humour competition) and was soon invited to join the united Ukrainian team “Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit” which performed in the KVN's Major League and eventually won it in 1997.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name='kvart'>[http://kvartal95.com/en/actors/vladimir/ Vladimir Zelenskiy] at the official Kvartal 95 website</ref><ref>[http://kvn.ru/teams/124 Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit] team profile at the official [[KVN]] website (in Russian)</ref> Same year he created and headed the Kvartal 95 team which later transformed into the comedy outfit [[Kvartal 95]]. From 1998 to 2003 Kvartal 95 performed in the Major League and the highest open Ukrainian league of KVN, the team members practically lived in [[Moscow]] and constantly toured around [[Commonwealth of Independent States|post-Soviet countries]].<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name='kvart'/> In 2003 Kvartal 95 started producing TV shows for the Ukrainian TV channel [[1+1 (TV channel)|1+1]], and in 2005 the team moved to fellow Ukrainian TV channel [[Inter (TV channel)|Inter]].<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/>
Starting at the age of seventeen he became a member of the local [[KVN]] team (a humour competition) and was soon invited to join the united Ukrainian team “Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit” which performed in the KVN's Major League and eventually won it in 1997.<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name='kvart'>[http://kvartal95.com/en/actors/vladimir/ Vladimir Zelenskiy] at the official Kvartal 95 website</ref><ref>[http://kvn.ru/teams/124 Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit] team profile at the official [[KVN]] website (in Russian)</ref> Same year he created and headed the Kvartal 95 team which later transformed into the comedy outfit [[Kvartal 95]]. From 1998 to 2003 Kvartal 95 performed in the Major League and the highest open Ukrainian league of KVN, the team members practically lived in [[Moscow]] and constantly toured around [[Commonwealth of Independent States|post-Soviet countries]].<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/><ref name='kvart'/> In 2003 Kvartal 95 started producing TV shows for the Ukrainian TV channel [[1+1 (TV channel)|1+1]], and in 2005 the team moved to fellow Ukrainian TV channel [[Inter (TV channel)|Inter]].<ref name="LIGAZelenskybio"/>

Revision as of 15:08, 8 January 2019

Volodymyr Zelensky
Володимир Зеленський
File:Владимир Зеленский 2018 1.jpg
Born (1978-01-25) 25 January 1978 (age 46)
Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityUkrainian
Alma materKyiv National Economic University
Occupation(s)actor, screenwriter, producer
Notable workServant of the People
Office Romance. Our Time
Love in the Big City
Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon
Political partyServant of the People[1]
SpouseOlena Zelenska[2]
Children2[2]

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky (Ukrainian: Володимир Олександрович Зеленський; born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian screenwriter, actor and director of Ukrainian film studio Kvartal 95. Zelensky is one of leading candidates in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.[3] Six months before he announced his candidacy on 31 December 2018, he was already one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election.[4][3][5] Zelensky played the role of President of Ukraine in the hugely popular 2015 television series Servant of the People.[3][6] The political party Servant of the People was created in March 2018 by people from the tv production company Kvartal 95 who also created the TV series of the same name.[7][5]

Biography

Zelensky was born 25 January 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) to Jewish parents.[2][8][9] His father Oleksandr Semenovich Zelensky is a professor who heads an academic department of cybernetics and computing hardware at the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics, his mother Rimma Volodimirovna Zelenskaya used to work as an engineer.[10][11][12] Before entering grammar school he lived for four years in Mongolia in the city of Erdenet where his father worked.[2]

At the age of sixteen he took part in a TOEFL competition in Dnipro and won an education grant to study in Israel, but his father didn't let him go.[12] Zelensky studied law at the Kyiv National Economic University department in his native Kryvyi Rih, but he never professionally worked in the legal field.[2][3]

Starting at the age of seventeen he became a member of the local KVN team (a humour competition) and was soon invited to join the united Ukrainian team “Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit” which performed in the KVN's Major League and eventually won it in 1997.[2][13][14] Same year he created and headed the Kvartal 95 team which later transformed into the comedy outfit Kvartal 95. From 1998 to 2003 Kvartal 95 performed in the Major League and the highest open Ukrainian league of KVN, the team members practically lived in Moscow and constantly toured around post-Soviet countries.[2][13] In 2003 Kvartal 95 started producing TV shows for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, and in 2005 the team moved to fellow Ukrainian TV channel Inter.[2]

Following Zelensky's 2006 participation in the Ukrainian version of Dancing with the Stars on (the TV channel) 1+1, he became a household name in Ukraine.[2]

In 2008, he stared in the feature film Love in the Big City, and its sequel, Love in the Big City 2.[2] In 2011 Zelensky continued his movie career with the film Office Romance. Our Time and in 2012 with Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon.[2] Love in the Big City 3 came out in January 2014.[2] Zelensky also played the leading role in the 2015 film 8 new dates.[2]

Zelensky was a member of the board and the general producer of the TV channel Inter from 2010 to 2012.[3]

In 2015 Zelensky became the star of the TV hit Servant of the People, where he plays the role of the President of Ukraine.[3] In Servant of the People, Zelensky stars as a thirty-something high school history teacher who wins the Presidential election after a viral video shows him ranting against government corruption in Ukraine.[6]

After Ukrainian media had reported that during the War in Donbass Zelensky's Kvartal 95 had donated 1 million hryvnias to the Ukrainian army, Russian politicians and artists petitioned a ban on his works in Russia.[15] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded by saying that "Moscow should not be like Kiev" and should not impose "black lists" and restrictions on the cultural figures of Ukraine.[15] Lavrov added that Russian producers and the film industry should take into account "unfriendly attacks of foreign performers in Russia" when implementing cultural projects with them.[15][nb 1] In August 2014 Zelensky spoke out against the intention of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to ban Russian artists from Ukraine.[17]

The political party Servant of the People was created in March 2018 by people from the tv production company Kvartal 95, which also created the TV series of the same name.[7][5] Zelensky did state late December 2018 that he was a member of this party and that it was political active.[1]

Zelensky did not perform roles in Ukrainian until he started filming the Ukrainian language romantic comedy He and She in 2018.[18] He and She was the first Ukrainian language movie produced by Kvartal 95.[19] The characters in the TV show Servant of the People mostly spoke Russian.[20]

Six months before he announced his candidacy for the Ukrainian Presidential Election in 2019 on 31 December 2018, Zelensky was already one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the 2019 Ukrainian Presidential election.[21][3][5][nb 2]

After months of ambiguous responses[22][5][1], during the Kvartal 95 new year's eve evening show on the TV channel 1+1 he live announced[nb 3] his candidacy for the 2019 Presidential election.[3]

Family

In September 2003 Zelenska married Olena Zelenska (nèè Kiyashko).[2] They both attended the same grammar school.[2]

The couple's first daughter Oleksandra was born in July 2004.[2] In Zelenska's movie "8 New Dates" from 2014 she played "Sasha", the daughter of the protagonist.[2] In 2016 she participated in the show "The Comedy Comedy's Kids" and won 50,000 hryvnias.[2]

Zelenska's son Cyril Zelenska was born in January 2013.[2]

Political positions

Zelensky supported the 2013-2014 Euromaidan movement and during the War in Donbass he actively supported the Ukrainian army.[3]

In an interview in December 2018 Zelensky stated that as President he would try to end the ongoing War in Donbass by negotiating with Russia.[24] Since he considered the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic Russia's "puppets" it would "make no sense to speak with them".[24] He did not rule out holding of a referendum on the matter.[24]

In August 2014 Zelensky spoke out against the intention of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to ban Russian artists from Ukraine.[17] Since 2015 Ukraine is banning Russian artists from entering Ukraine and other Russian works of culture.[16]

In a late 2018 interview Zelensky called for greater transparency from the political class, shorter terms limits, and a greater chance for political participation "from the common man".[23]

Zelensky announced on 1 January 2019 that he was looking for people to join his team, regardless of their ethnicity, creed or native language, but with the requirement that they were not sullied by previous experience in domestic politics.[23]

Notes

  1. ^ Since 2015 Ukraine is banning Russian artists from entering Ukraine and other Russian works of culture.[16]
  2. ^ Polling showed that Zelensky was especially popular among potential voters in southern Ukraine and to a lesser extent eastern Ukraine.[5]
  3. ^ The announcement was in a video message half in Russian and half in Ukrainian.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c Template:Uk icon Zelensky: Party "Servant of the people" goes into politics, Interfax-Ukraine (26.12.2018)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Template:Ru icon/(website has automatic Google Translate option) Short bio, LIGA
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Template:Uk icon Zelensky announced his decision to go to the presidency (video), UNIAN (1 January 2019)
  4. ^ Interfax-Ukraine (July 15, 2018). "Support for Zelensky, Varkarchuk shows popular demand for new politicians". Kyiv Post.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Template:Uk icon The boundary of a joke. How Zelensky prepares for the election, Ukrayinska Pravda (25 October 2018)
  6. ^ a b Jacobsen, Katherine (13 December 2016). "How a Fictional President Is Helping Ukrainians Rethink Their Absurd Politics". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
    Kao, Anthony (6 June 2017). "Ukraine's 'Servant of the People' is a hidden gem of political comedy". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved 25 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
    Kao, Anthony (22 August 2017). "Interview: Vladimir Zelenskiy on playing Ukraine's president in 'Servant of the People'". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved 25 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. ^ a b Template:Uk icon Lawyer Zelensky has registered a new political party "Servant of the people", UNIAN (3 December 2017)
  8. ^ Zelensky called Yanukovich history and asked him to leave at Television Service of News, Channel 1+1, 2 March 2014 (in Russian)
  9. ^ Artur Verba. How Ukrainian Jews are doing article from Korrespondent №26, 4 July 2014 (in Russian)
  10. ^ Vladimir Zelensky told about his relationship with his parents by Television Service of News, Channel 1+1, 28 September 2017 (in Ukrainian)
  11. ^ Zelensky Oleksandr Semenovich at the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics official website (in Ukrainian)
  12. ^ a b Volodymyr Zelensky interview by Dmitry Gordon at the official website, 26 December 2018 (in Russian)
  13. ^ a b Vladimir Zelenskiy at the official Kvartal 95 website
  14. ^ Zaporizhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit team profile at the official KVN website (in Russian)
  15. ^ a b c Template:Ru icon Actor Zelensky criticized the SBU because of the ban on the series "Matchmakers", RIA Novosti (24 November 2017)
    Template:Ru icon SC will check whether Zelensky financed the Ukrainian army, Komsomolskaya Pravda (02/05/15)
  16. ^ a b Ukraine bans 38 Russian 'hate' books amid culture war, BBC News (11 August 2015)
  17. ^ a b Template:Ru icon Zelensky intended to demand the resignation of the Ministry of Culture, sevas.com (9 August 2014)
  18. ^ Template:Uk icon "Quarter 95" will take off its first Ukrainian-language comedy with Nastya Kamensky in the lead role, Zaxid.net (20 June 2017)
  19. ^ Template:Uk icon The working title of the romantic comedy is "He and She", Kvartal 95 (June 20, 2017)
  20. ^ Template:Uk icon Society Most Ukrainian media carry out a policy of Russification - an investigation into ZIK, ZiK.ua (7 March 2016)
  21. ^ Interfax-Ukraine (July 15, 2018). "Support for Zelensky, Varkarchuk shows popular demand for new politicians". Kyiv Post.
  22. ^ Could a rock star become Ukraine's next president?, Deutsche Welle (24 August 2018)
  23. ^ a b c Clown show: Stand-up comic enters Ukrainian presidential race… and could win, RT News (2 January 2018)
  24. ^ a b c Template:Uk icon Zelensky about the war in the Donbass: Though we are ready to agree with the devil, Ukrayinska Pravda (26 December 2018)

External links

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