Danila Kozlovsky | |
|---|---|
_(cropped-J1).jpg) At theGolden Mask award ceremony, 2017 | |
| Born | (1985-05-03)3 May 1985 (age 40) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | |
| Website | danilakozlovskiy.com |
Danila Valeryevich Kozlovsky (Russian:Данила Валерьевич Козловский; born 3 May 1985) is a Russian actor and director.[1] His most famous roles in films includeVampire Academy andSoulless, as well as the TV seriesVikings. During his career he achieved international popularity inEastern European countries.[2][3][4]
Kozlovsky was born in Moscow. His mother, Nadezhda Zvenigorodskaya, is a stage actress, and his father, Valery Kozlovsky, was a professor atMoscow State University specializing in marketing and mass communications.[5] He is the second of three brothers, an older brother, Yegor, and a younger brother, Ivan. From a young age, Kozlovsky was placed in dance and music classes, learning to play the saxophone and the alto. During his early years, he frequently changed schools, potentially due to discipline issues.[6] He made his big screen debut in 1998, playing the troubled sixth grader Denis on the Russian television seriesSimple Truths.
In 1996, he was accepted into the Kronshtadt Naval Military School, which he attended until his graduation in 2002. Upon graduation, he matriculated to theSaint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, entering the acting/directing course supervised byLev Dodin. During his fourth year he made his debut on the stage of theLittle Drama Theatre (Theatre de l’Europe), playing the part of Edgar inKing Lear (2006). The role brought him his first theatre award: a special prize of Expert Council of the "Golden Sofit" (the top-rated theatre award inSaint Petersburg) for Best Debut. Then there was a role in the playLife and Fate, which premiered in Paris and the diploma performance "Warsaw Melody".
After graduating from the academy in 2007, Danila Kozlovskiy was officially admitted to the staff of the Little Drama Theatre (Theatre de l'Europe). In his repertoire were added performancesLord of the Flies, where he played Ralph,Intrigue and Love andThe Cherry Orchard.
In 2005, he also received his first important film role – in the pictureGarpastum. The film, set during the time of the First World War, tells the story of two brothers who wish to build their own football stadium. Kozlovsky received theRussian Guild of Film Critics "White Elephant Award" for the best male lead actor.[7]
Kozlovsky gained wider publicity in 2008 with his starring role in the filmBlack Hunters. There he played the role of robber archaeologist Sergei Filatov, who is transported into the past together with his friends when making illegal excavations.
In 2009, he portrayed drag queen Lusya in the comedy-dramaJolly Fellows. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 2010Berlin International Film Festival.
After Kozlovsky starred in the 2012 filmSoulless he became a household name in Russia. He played the lead role of Max Andreev, a young ambitious executive manager who begins to reevaluate his priorities in life and career. The film was a hit and grossed $13 million. He received the NationalGolden Eagle Award forSoulless (2012, nomination "Best Cinema Actor").[8] The film was followed by asequel in 2015, for which he won theNika Award as best actor.
Kozlovsky played the role of Yegor Dorin, in the 2012 filmThe Spy, based on theBoris Akunin novel.
In 2013, he portrayed ice-hockey playerValeri Kharlamov in the sports dramaLegend № 17. The film was a critical and box-office success, earning $29.5 million at the box-office.
Kozlovsky starred in his first Hollywood film in 2014; he played Dimitri Belikov in the comedy-horror pictureVampire Academy.
The year 2016 saw Kozlovsky star in five films – romantic comedyStatus: non engaged, sci-fi action filmHardcore Henry, comedy filmFriday, disaster filmFlight Crew and historical action filmViking.
Out of the aforementioned films, the most popular ones at the box-office wereFlight Crew, earning $27 million, andViking which grossed $34 million.
He played Count Vorontzov in the filmMatilda (2017), which told the story of the romance betweenEmperor Nicholas II and ballerinaMathilde Kschessinska. The film became controversial after State Duma deputyNatalia Poklonskaya led a campaign to ban the film on religious grounds.
Also in 2017, it was announced that Kozlovsky will appear asOleg of Novgorod in the sixth season of popular Canadian historical dramaVikings.[9]
In 2018, Kozlovsky played a supporting role inDovlatov. The biographical picture about writerSergei Dovlatov premiered at the2018 Berlinale in competition.
Danila Kozlovsky's directorial debutCoach was released in 2018.[10]
In 2021, he directed the filmChernobyl: Abyss, thesoundtrack for the film was recorded byAlla Pugacheva.[11]
In 2013,GQ Russia picked Danila Kozlovsky asMan of the Year.[12]
Kozlovsky appeared in advertisements forChanel'sCoco Mademoiselle alongsideKeira Knightley in 2015.[13]
For a number of years, he was cited as a “sex symbol” by various media outlets in Russia.[14][15]
In late 2008, Kozlovsky married the Maly Drama Theatre actress Urszula Małka. They divorced in 2011.[16] Kozlovsky was in a relationship with actress and modelOlga Zueva from 2014 to 2020. They split shortly after Olga gave birth to their daughter Oda Valentina Zueva (born in February 2020).[17][18]
On 24 and 27 February 2022, Kozlovsky posted several Instagram posts condemning the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, sharing an image of a cryingrefugee. In his 27 February post, Kozlovsky admitted to, and apologized for, his indifference to theannexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014.[19][20] Kozlovsky's filmViking had been filmed in parts ofthe Russia-annexed territory of Crimea. According toNovaya Gazeta, Kozlovsky has faced harassment due to his stance against the invasion and has faced difficulties finding new film roles.[21]
| Year | Title | Original Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Simple Truths | Простые истины | Denis Selivyorstov | TV series |
| 2003 | Dancing on the Waves | Я всё решу сама: Танцующая на волнах | Valera | TV series |
| 2003 | Streets of Broken Lights | Улицы разбитых фонарей | soldier-deserter Popov | TV series |
| 2004 | Sissi: The Rebel Empress | Сисси – мятежная императрица | YoungFranz Joseph | TV film |
| 2004 | On Verhniaya Maslovka street | На Верхней Масловке | Modigliani | |
| 2005 | Garpastum | Гарпастум | Nikolay | Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Actor |
| 2006 | Alka | Алька | Lenya Astakhov | TV miniseries |
| 2006 | Crime and Weather | Преступление и погода | Victor | |
| 2007 | Lenin's Legacy | Завещание Ленина | Sergei | TV miniseries |
| 2008 | Black Hunters | Мы из будущего | Sergei "Bormann" Filatov | Also known asWe Are from the Future andBack in Time Nominated—MTV Russia Movie Award for Best Kiss(shared withEkaterina Klimova) |
| 2009 | Jolly Fellows | Весельчаки | Lyusya | |
| 2009 | A. D. | А. Д. | Daniil Ageev | TV |
| 2010 | On-alone | Одиночка | Andrei Gromov | TV |
| 2010 | Attempt | Покушение | Yevgeniy Kostin | TV series |
| 2010 | Moscow, I Love You! | Москва, я люблю тебя! | Taxi driver | |
| 2010 | Hamlet. XXI Century | Гамлет XXI век | Laertes | |
| 2011 | Gulf Stream Under the Iceberg | Гольфстрим под айсбергом | Ari Brylskiy | |
| 2011 | Target | Мишень | Mitya | |
| 2011 | Five Brides | Пять невест | Alexei Kaverin | |
| 2011 | Skerries-18 | Шхера-18 | Andrei Egorov | TV |
| 2011 | Raspoutine | Распутин | Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich | Russian-French co-production |
| 2012 | The Spy | Шпион | Yegor Dorin | |
| 2012 | Soulless | Духless | Max Andreev | Golden Eagle Award for Best Leading Actor Nominated—Nika Award for Best Actor Nominated—Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Actor |
| 2013 | Legend № 17 | Легенда № 17 | Valeri Kharlamov | |
| 2013 | Everything Began in Harbin | Всё началось в Харбине | Boris Eybozhenko | TV series |
| 2013 | The habit to leave | Привычка расставаться | Vadim | |
| 2014 | Dubrovsky | Дубровский | Vladimir Dubrovsky | Feature film and TV mini-series |
| 2014 | Vampire Academy | Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters | Dimitri Belikov | |
| 2015 | Soulless 2 | Духless 2 | Max Andreev | |
| 2016 | Status: Free | Статус: Свободен | Nikita Kolesnikov | |
| 2016 | Friday | Пятница | Mikhail Bondar | |
| 2016 | Hardcore Henry | Хардкор | Akan | |
| 2016 | Flight Crew | Экипаж | Alexey Guchshin | Remake ofAir Crew |
| 2016 | Viking | Викинг | Vladimir the Great | |
| 2017 | Matilda | Матильда | Vorontsov | |
| 2018 | McMafia | МакМафия | Grigory Mishin | TV series |
| 2018 | Dovlatov | Довлатов | David | |
| 2018 | Coach | Тренер | Yuri Stoleshnikov | |
| 2018 | In the Hood | На районе | ||
| 2019–2020 | Vikings | — | Oleg the Prophet | TV series, main role (season 6) |
| 2021 | Chernobyl: Abyss | Чернобыль | Alexey Karpushin | Also director |
| 2021 | Karamora | Карамора | Karamora | [22] |
| 2022 | Molodoy chelovek | Молодой человек | ||
| 2022 | Treason | — | Lord Anton Melnikov | TV miniseries |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nika Award | 2015 | Best Actor | Soulless 2 | Won[23] |
| Glamour Awards | 2013 | Man of the Year | — | Won[24] |
| Golden Eagle Awards | 2012 | Golden Eagle Award for Best Leading Actor | Soulless | Won |
| Golden Floodlight Theatre Awards | 2006 | Best Debut | King Lear | Won[25] |
| GQ Awards | 2013 | Man of the Year | — | Won[12] |
| MTV Russia Movie Awards | 2008 | Best Kiss(shared withEkaterina Klimova) | Black Hunters | Nominated |
| Nika Awards | 2012 | Best Actor | Soulless | Nominated[26] |
| Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards[27] | 2005 | Best Actor | Garpastum | Won |
| 2012 | Soulless | Nominated | ||
| Constellation Film Actors Festival | 2008 | Best Leading Actor | Back in Time | Won |
