Biography
Who is Andrew Divoff?
Early life and education
Born in San Tomé, Anzoátegui, Venezuela, Andrew Daniel Divoff spent his childhood in Caracas. His father, of Russian descent, worked as a wildcatter for the Exxon corporation. After his parents divorced, he moved to northern California with his mother and sister at age ten. He faced academic hurdles due to his language barrier, which sparked a lifelong obsession with learning foreign languages.
He later lived in Spain for five years, attending the University of Barcelona where he researched linguistics for a project on The Canterbury Tales. He also attended Georgetown University to continue these studies. However, he left before graduating to support his father as he retired in California.
Acting career beginnings
Upon returning to California, Andrew Divoff worked as a limousine driver. During evenings off, he pursued acting lessons with coaches like Milton Katselas. His screen debut came in 1986 as a Russian guard for the show Misfits of Science. He secured this part through a telephone audition where he had to shout a specific line in Russian and English.
His first movie appearance was as a surgical antagonist in the 1986 horror production Neon Maniacs. He struggled with the filmmakers during that project, objecting to the use of dead pigeons in a scene. He eventually landed more work in the 1980s with bit parts in shows such as The A-Team, The Twilight Zone, and MacGyver.
Career highlights
His career trajectory shifted in 1990 when he was cast as the biker Cherry Ganz in Another 48 Hrs. He received the news while on vacation in Berlin and even participated in the destruction of the Berlin Wall shortly after. This project allowed him to leave his driving job to focus on acting full-time. He became well-known for playing villains, such as Luis Cali in Toy Soldiers and Ernesto Mendoza in A Low Down Dirty Shame.
In 1997, he appeared in Air Force One as a terrorist henchman. He performed his own stunts in that production and many others, preferring the control it gave him over his characters. He is perhaps most famous for his role as the Djinn in the first two Wishmaster films.
Business ventures and activism
Later in his career, he appeared in the television series Lost as Mikhail Bakunin, a member of the DHARMA Initiative. He also played Ivan Sarnoff on CSI: Miami and Karakurt in The Blacklist. Beyond acting, Andrew Divoff has managed various business ventures. He co-owned a blues bar called the Sunset Social Club in the 1990s.
He also formed a logging crew to remove trees affected by pine beetle infestations in the Lake Arrowhead region. Later, he became involved with Verdant Resource, which holds a patent for wind-powered water pumps. He also founded Three Marm Brewing in 2017, partnering with former members of his logging crew to produce craft beer for charity.
Birthday and age
Andrew Divoff was born on July 2, 1955, which makes Andrew 71 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Andrew shares the date with 29 other famous people.
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