Ivan Urgant | |
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Иван Ургант | |
.jpg) Urgant in 2025 | |
| Born | (1978-04-16)16 April 1978 (age 47) Leningrad, USSR |
| Other names |
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| Citizenship | Russia, Israel |
| Alma mater | Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy |
| Occupations | Television host, actor |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Television | Evening Urgant |
| Spouses | |
Ivan Andreyevich Urgant (Russian:Иван Ургант; born 16 April 1978) is a Russian show host, presenter and actor.[1] His best known roles in film are Boris in theYolki series and as Danila inLucky Trouble. Between 2012 and 2022 he hostedEvening Urgant, alate-night talk show, but was suspended in February 2022 following his public rejection of the war in Ukraine.[2] According to the 2008 and 2011 surveys, Urgant is Russia's most popular TV presenter.[3] He is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Friends Charitable Foundation.[4][5]
Urgant was born inLeningrad,USSR into a family of actors, the son of Andrei Urgant and Valeriya Kiseleva. His paternal grandparents were actorsNina Urgant and Lev Milinder. His Estonian surname Urgant comes from Nina's father, Nikolai Andreyevich Urgant, anNKVD Major fromLuga and a son ofRäpina-born Hindrik Urgand.[6] He is of mixedRussian,Estonian, andJewish heritage.[7] About a year after Ivan's birth the family separated. After his parents broke up, he lived with his mother and stepfather - Leningrad actor Dmitri Ladygin.[8]
Urgant studied at the Leningrad Children's Music School No. 18, at the Gymnasium at the State Russian Museum. He graduated fromSaint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy.[9] After receiving his acting education, Urgant did not engage in theater as the main profession. He worked as a waiter, bartender, and then as a host in nightly shows in clubs. In 2018, it was reported he had taken Israeli citizenship.[10]
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In 1999, Urgant managed to get a job at a St. Petersburg radio station. In addition, he appeared on television, where he was the host of the programPetersburg Courier on5TV. Later, he was moved to Moscow and continued his career on the radio - first onRussian Radio, and then on "Hit-FM."
In May 2001, Urgant first appeared on Moscow television, on the television channelMTV Russia.[11] He received an invitation to a casting at a time when Olga Shelest andAnton Komolov were looking for a couple of hosts to team up with on the showCheerful Morning.[11] Since 2002, after the departure of the original team ofVJs of "MTV Russia", he began to host the programsTotal Show[12] andExpresso.[13]
From 2003 to 2005 he was involved in a number of TV projects on theRussia-1: he was the host of TV showPeople's Artist andPyramid.[3] He has been working onChannel One since 2005.[13][14] Previously, Urgant was a TV presenter in the programsSmak,Evening Urgant andProzhektorperiskhilton.[15] He also often conducts award ceremonies.
Starting from 2006, Urgant has appeared withVladimir Pozner in thetravel documentary series titledTravels of Pozner and Urgant.[16]
In 2007, 2009, 2010 (2), 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Urgant was awardedTEFI.[17]
On 16 May 2009, he presented the finale of the2009 Eurovision Song Contest with former Russian Eurovision participantAlsou.[18] In December 2017, Urgant was one of the hosts of the2018 FIFA World Cup Team Draw Show, withGary Lineker andMaria Komandnaya.[19]
On 24 February 2022, he posted "No to War" on his Instagram account following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia after which his late-night programme was taken off-air.[20]
In 2024, Urgant played the lead role in the drama filmYou Cried in Your Sleep, which was produced byAleksandr Sokurov.
Since 2011, Urgant has co-owned a restaurant in Moscow, The Sad (Russian:Сад) Garden, withAleksandr Tsekalo.[21] He has been a board member and co-owner of the real estate agency W1Evans since 2016.[21][22]
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Urgant has hosted various TV shows, including:
Ivan Urgant plays guitar, piano and drums.[23] In the late 1990s he acted under the pseudonymVnuk (Russian:Внук -Grandson). In 2011 Ivan renewed his own singing career and now is acting under the pseudonym Grisha Urgant.[24]
Savva Vasilkov in the play of theMoscow Pushkin Drama Theatre "Mad Money".[25]
Media related toIvan Urgant at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest presenter 2009 With:Alsou (Final) | Succeeded by |
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