# Milla Jovovich (Милица Богдановна Јововић)
**Milla Jovovich** (Милица Богдановна Јововић) is an American actress, model, and singer-songwriter born in 1975 in Kyiv, then part of the Ukrainian SSR, known for the title role in [Luc Besson](https://www.edgepedia.org/luc-besson)'s *The Fifth Element* (1997) and for playing Alice across six *Resident Evil* films from 2002 to 2016[1](https://millaj.com/faq) • [2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/). Her full birth name is given as Militza Jovovich by her official site and as Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich by IMDb, and her professional name is pronounced "mee-luh yo-vo-vitch"[1](https://millaj.com/faq) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)[1](https://millaj.com/faq) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop) |
| Parents | Father Bogdan Jovovich, a Serbian medical doctor; mother Galina Loginova, a Soviet Russian actress[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop) |
| Early screen work | Lead role in Disney's *Night Train to Katmandu* at age nine; first big starring role in *Return to the Blue Lagoon* (1991)[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/) • [4](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/) |
| Breakout | Leeloo in *The Fifth Element* (1997), directed by Luc Besson[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/) |
| Music | *The Divine Comedy*, released April 5, 1994 on SBK Records[5](https://www.millaj.com/) |
| *Resident Evil* | Six films as Alice (2002–2016); the series crossed $1.2 billion worldwide[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-milla-jovovich-20170721-htmlstory.html) |
| Fashion design | Jovovich-Hawk label, co-founded with Carmen Hawk; CFDA nomination as best new designer in 2006[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/) |
| Height | Listed as 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) on her official site; IMDb lists 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1](https://millaj.com/faq) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop) |
## Early life
Jovovich was born in Kyiv to Bogdan Jovovich, a Serbian medical doctor working there, and [Galina Loginova](https://www.edgepedia.org/galina-jovovich), a Russian actress[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop). When she was five, in 1981, the family left the Soviet Union, moving first to London, then to [Sacramento, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-california), and eventually settling in Los Angeles[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop). Her official FAQ states that she and her family moved to Sacramento when she was five[1](https://millaj.com/faq).
She has described a difficult adjustment. In interviews she recalled being teased for her Russian accent and called a "commie" at school, and said she was bullied as an immigrant who worked while other children socialized[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html) • [8](https://www.advocate.com/current-issue/2017/1/09/list-interview-milla-jovovich). Her mother, who also acted as her agent, spent family resources on lessons in acting, ballet, and piano[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html).
## Modeling career
At age 11 Jovovich appeared on the covers of *The Face* and *Lei* magazines[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/). The next year [Richard Avedon](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-avedon) photographed her for Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" campaign, and she then became, according to amfAR's profile, the youngest model ever to appear on the cover of a women's fashion magazine with her *Mademoiselle* cover, also shot by Avedon[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/). She retired from the runway at 15, by the account she gave the Los Angeles Times in 2006[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-08-et-jovovich8-story.html).
Through the 1990s and beyond she fronted campaigns for brands including L'Oréal, Chanel, Dior, Versace, Prada, Calvin Klein, and [Tiffany & Co.](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiffany-and-co)[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/). In a 2009 Interview Magazine interview she was still described as the face of L'Oréal Paris, which she had signed with about thirteen years earlier[10](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/milla-jovovich).
## Acting career
Her film career began at nine with the lead in Disney's *Night Train to Katmandu*[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/). Her first major starring role, as one of two castaway children, came in *Return to the Blue Lagoon* (1991)[4](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/), followed by supporting roles in *Chaplin* (1992) and [Richard Linklater](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-linklater)'s *Dazed and Confused* (1993)[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html). She took a break from acting for several years to focus on music after that period[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop).
**The Fifth Element.** At 21 she became a box-office star as Leeloo in Besson's 1997 science-fiction film, co-starring [Bruce Willis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-willis) and [Gary Oldman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-oldman)[11](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-resident-evil-the-final-chapter-interview-paul-ws-anderson-a7555101.html). Rotten Tomatoes' retrospective calls the role her first turn as an action heroine and notes that Besson then directed her again as the title character in *The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc* (1999)[4](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/). Jovovich later credited *The Fifth Element* as the turning point in her film career[12](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/labyrinths-the-films-of-milla-jovovich-and-paul-w-s-anderson).
**Resident Evil.** In 2002 she took the role of Alice, a character created for the film adaptation of Capcom's video game and not drawn from any of the games' characters, in *Resident Evil*, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson[4](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-milla-jovovich-20170721-htmlstory.html). She played Alice in six films over the following fifteen years, through *Resident Evil: The Final Chapter* (2016), and the series crossed $1.2 billion worldwide[6](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-milla-jovovich-20170721-htmlstory.html). The franchise combined commercial success with largely poor critical reception, a pattern its chroniclers have noted repeatedly[4](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/).
Her other screen work spans genres: *Zoolander* and its 2016 sequel, [Wim Wenders](https://www.edgepedia.org/wim-wenders)' *Million Dollar Hotel*, the thriller *The Fourth Kind*, *Stone* with [Robert De Niro](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-de-niro) and [Edward Norton](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-norton), *Hellboy* (2019) as Nimue, *Monster Hunter* (2020), and *In the Lost Lands* (2025), based on a George R.R. Martin story[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/) • [13](https://millaj.com/films). Her official filmography counts more than 50 film and television credits across about 38 years on screen[13](https://millaj.com/films).
## Music
Jovovich recorded *The Divine Comedy*, a collection of eleven acoustic, folk-influenced songs she composed at fifteen and recorded at sixteen, released April 5, 1994 on SBK Records; critics described the album's quality as "Slavic sadness," and reviews drew comparisons with [Kate Bush](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-bush) and [Tori Amos](https://www.edgepedia.org/tori-amos)[5](https://www.millaj.com/) • [7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html). One track, "In a Glade," is a well-known [Ukrainian folk song](https://www.edgepedia.org/ukrainian-folk-song) reflecting her connection to Ukraine[1](https://millaj.com/faq). She later performed with the band Plastic Has Memory, whose song "On the Hill" appeared on the compilation *Hollywood Goes Wild*, and has continued to record demos made available through her official channels[1](https://millaj.com/faq).
## Fashion design and other work
With former model Carmen Hawk, Jovovich launched the clothing label Jovovich-Hawk, which showed in New York in 2005[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-08-et-jovovich8-story.html). In 2006 the Council of Fashion Designers of America nominated her as best new designer for the label[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/).
She has been a longtime amfAR [Ambassador](https://www.edgepedia.org/ambassador) and debuted her original song "Electric Sky" at the Life Ball AIDS charity event; her other charitable work includes the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, UNICEF, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation[2](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/).
## Personal life
Jovovich eloped to Las Vegas with her *Dazed and Confused* co-star Shawn Andrews at 16; the marriage was annulled[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html). She married director Luc Besson in 1997 and divorced in 1999[14](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/jovovich-milla-1975). She married Paul W.S. Anderson on August 22, 2009, and they have three daughters: Ever Gabo (born 2007), Dashiel Edan (born 2015), and Osian Lark Elliot Jovovich-Anderson (born 2020)[1](https://millaj.com/faq). Her daughter Ever appeared as the Red Queen in *Resident Evil: The Final Chapter*[11](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-resident-evil-the-final-chapter-interview-paul-ws-anderson-a7555101.html).
## References
1. [FAQ, Milla Jovovich official site](https://millaj.com/faq)
2. [Milla Jovovich, Honoree profile, amfAR](https://www.amfar.org/honorees/milla-jovovich/)
3. [Milla Jovovich biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000170/bio/?mode=desktop)
4. [Milla Jovovich On Resident Evil And Her Ultraviolet Beef, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/milla-jovovich-on-resident-evil-and-her-ultraviolet-beef/)
5. [Milla Jovovich official site](https://www.millaj.com/)
6. [Milla Jovovich on her action heroine legacy, Los Angeles Times (2017)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-milla-jovovich-20170721-htmlstory.html)
7. [Milla Jovovich: Kick and make-up, The Independent (2006)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-kick-and-makeup-6097375.html)
8. [The A-List Interview: Milla Jovovich, The Advocate (2017)](https://www.advocate.com/current-issue/2017/1/09/list-interview-milla-jovovich)
9. [No vanity project, Los Angeles Times (2006)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-08-et-jovovich8-story.html)
10. [Milla Jovovich, Interview Magazine (2009)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/milla-jovovich)
11. [Resident Evil's Milla Jovovich interview, The Independent (2017)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/milla-jovovich-resident-evil-the-final-chapter-interview-paul-ws-anderson-a7555101.html)
12. [Labyrinths: The Films of Milla Jovovich and Paul W. S. Anderson, Los Angeles Review of Books](https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/labyrinths-the-films-of-milla-jovovich-and-paul-w-s-anderson)
13. [Filmography, Milla Jovovich official site](https://millaj.com/films)
14. [Jovovich, Milla 1975, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/jovovich-milla-1975)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Jo to Kl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license