Volodymyr Zelensky
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky (Ukrainian: Володимир Олександрович Зеленський; born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician, screenwriter, actor, comedian and director. He is the President of Ukraine, upon winning the round-off election against incumbent President Petro Poroshenko on 21 April 2019.
Volodymyr Zelensky Володимир Зеленський | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Zelensky on 20 May 2019 | |
| 6th President of Ukraine | |
| Assumed office 20 May 2019[1] | |
| Prime Minister | Volodymyr Groysman Oleksiy Honcharuk Denys Shmyhal |
| Preceded by | Petro Poroshenko |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelensky 25 January 1978 Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Servant of the People[2] |
| Spouse(s) | Olena Kiyashko (m. 2003) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Kyiv National Economic University (department in Kryvyi Rih) |
| Notable works | Svaty Servant of the People Office Romance. Our Time Love in the Big City Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon |
| Signature |  |
Zelensky was the front-runner in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election. Six months before he announced his candidacy on 31 December 2018, he was already one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election.[3]
Zelensky played the role of President of Ukraine in the hugely popular 2015 television series Servant of the People.[4] The political party Servant of the People was created in March 2018 by people from the TV production company Kvartal 95 who also created the TV series of the same name.[5][6]
In September 2019 it was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had pressured Zelensky during a July phone call between the two Presidents to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.[7][8] This led to the Trump–Ukraine scandal and the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump which would result in Trump's impeachment.
BiographyEdit
Early lifeEdit
Zelensky was born 25 January 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian SSR in a secular Ukrainian Jewish family. His father, Oleksandr Zelensky, is a professor at the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics. His mother, Rymma Zelenska, worked as an engineer. Before going to school Volodymyr lived for four years in Mongolia where his father worked at that time.
EducationEdit
Zelensky earned a law degree from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics. He fluently speaks Ukrainian and Russian.
Film careerEdit
In 2008, he starred in the feature film Love in the Big City, and its sequel, Love in the Big City 2. Zelensky also played the main role in the movie Office Romance, Our Time, Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon, Love in the Big City 3, 8 First Dates, etc.
In 2015, Zelensky became the main actor of the popular Ukrainian television series Servant of the People, where he played the role of the President of Ukraine.[9]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Volodymyr Zelensky: Comedian-president calls snap election". BBC News. May 20, 2019.
- ↑ "Кандидати на пост Президента України". Central Election Commission. May 21, 2019.
- ↑ Interfax-Ukraine (July 15, 2018). "Support for Zelensky, Varkarchuk shows popular demand for new politicians". Kyiv Post.
- ↑ Jacobsen, Katherine (13 December 2016). "How a Fictional President Is Helping Ukrainians Rethink Their Absurd Politics". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
Kao, Anthony (6 June 2017). "Ukraine's 'Servant of the People' is a hidden gem of political comedy". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved 25 August 2017. Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help)
Kao, Anthony (22 August 2017). "Interview: Vladimir Zelenskiy on playing Ukraine's president in 'Servant of the People'". Cinema Escapist. Retrieved 25 August 2017. Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ↑ (in Ukrainian) Lawyer Zelensky has registered a new political party "Servant of the people", UNIAN (3 December 2017)
- ↑ (in Ukrainian) The boundary of a joke. How Zelensky prepares for the election, Ukrayinska Pravda (25 October 2018)
- ↑ "How the Ukraine Scandal Looks in Ukraine". Slate. September 27, 2019.
- ↑ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Mendel, Iuliia (2019-05-01). "Biden Faces Conflict of Interest Questions That Are Being Promoted by Trump and Allies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ↑ "Зеленський заявив про рішення йти у президенти (відео)". www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2020-02-14.
Other websitesEdit
Media related to Volodymyr Zelensky at Wikimedia Commons