Biography
Who is Chulpan Khamatova?
Early life and education
Chulpan Khamatova was born on October 1, 1975, in Kazan, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. Her parents, Marina Galimullovna Khamatova and Nail Khamatov, both worked as engineers. She grew up with a younger brother named Shamil Khamatov, who also pursued a career in acting.
During her childhood, she participated in figure skating. In her eighth grade, she attended a mathematical school associated with Kazan Federal University. Although she originally planned to attend the Kazan State Finance and Economics Institute, she eventually chose to study at the Kazan Theater School instead.
Acting career and theater
After receiving guidance from teachers Juno Kareva and Vadim Keshner, Chulpan moved to Moscow to attend the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts. She worked on several stages, including the Russian Academic Youth Theater and the Anton Chekhov Theater. In 1998, she joined the troupe at the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre, where she appeared in plays like Three Comrades and Three Sisters.
Chulpan Khamatova is also recognized for her work with the Theatre of Nations. In 2008, she participated in the performance Stories of Shukshin, where she performed nine different roles. Her stage work includes diverse characters in productions such as Anne Frank's Diary and Antony and Cleopatra.
Film and television success
Her film career began while she was still a student at GITIS, appearing in the 1997 film Time of a Dancer. She achieved a major breakthrough in 1998 with the crime drama Country of the Deaf, a role that required her to learn sign language. She later starred in the internationally acclaimed movie Good Bye, Lenin! In 2003, playing the character Lara.
Other well-known cinematic works include Luna Papa, 72 Meters, and The Fall of the Empire. Her television and film credits extend to projects like The White Crow and Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes. Beyond acting, she won the Ice Age figure skating competition in 2007 alongside Roman Kostomarov.
Charity and public life
As a public figure, Chulpan Khamatova has focused on helping children with cancer. She co-founded the Podari Zhizn charity foundation in 2006 to support children facing oncological and hematological diseases. This organization successfully raised over 500 million rubles for medical treatments by the summer of 2009.
In recent years, she has been involved in political activism. She signed a petition protesting the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and spoke at an anti-war rally in Riga, Latvia. Due to these actions, she has lived in exile in Latvia rather than returning to Russia.
Family and personal life
Chulpan was married to Ivan Volkov, an actor and composer, from 1995 until 2002. Later, she had a relationship with the ballet dancer Aleksei Dubinin in 2003. In 2009, she married director and actor Aleksandr Shein, though their marriage ended in 2017.
She is a mother to three daughters: Arina Ivanovna Volkova, Asya Alekseievna Dubinina, and Iya Aleksandrovna Shein. Her children were born in 2002, 2003, and 2010 respectively.
Birthday and age
Chulpan Khamatova was born on October 1, 1975, which makes Chulpan 51 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Chulpan shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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