Olga Kurylenko

By Sara Templeton

It could be high cheek bones, the elven stature, or perhaps it's just the accent. Whatever the case, Eastern Bloc chicks are hot!

And though the name 'Olga' doesn't always inspire images of porcelain beauty - more often than not large matronly aggressors - Ms Kurylenko looks set to change this stereotype once and for all.

Born and bred in the Ukrainian town Berdyansk, not too far from Russia, Olga Kurylenko hit the big time after scoring the role of latest 'Bond Girl' in the new 007 film called Quantum of Solace.

She's already been in a few movies, most notably L'Annulaire, Paris, je t'aime (with Elijah Wood), The Serpent, and Hitman.

But these all pale into insignificance to her role of Camille, the newest and arguably hottest Bond babe in history, in the twenty second 007 flick.

Born on November 14, 1979, this is one Scorpio you don't want to mess with. 

I'm not entirely sure why you wouldn't want to have a bare-knuckled dust-up with her, but I just get a sense that she'd be a real street fighter with some painful signature moves.

Growing up in Ukraine, Olga Kurylenko travelled to Moscow in Russia for a brief holiday at her mother's behest when she was a teen, and were it not for this fortuitous sojourn she would not have been spotted by a model scout (otherwise known as a perv).

Aged just 15 at the time, it wasn't long before her life was transformed.

Olga Kurylenko was inducted into the vicious world of fashion modeling from a young age, and moved to Paris where she quickly began building a strong portfolio.

Having spend much of her teenaged life in France, she soon became a darling of the French, having since featured on the covers of French Marie Clare, Elle, and other glossy fashion magazines. She's also appeared in lads mag FHM.

As well as various modeling shoots, advertising contracts with major fashion houses and all the other gigs that modern super models get, her grasp of the French language increased.

She was soon adopted by the media there and after almost of decade of modeling began branching out into acting.

A lot of models try their hand at acting and most of them fail miserably. 

But thus far Olga Kurylenko has been nothing but inspired in her on-screen appearances, and in the new Bond Film she's very impressive. Quantum of Solice has even broken box office records here in Australia - we obviously have an eye for real beauty.

Realising that the modeling lifestyle was stifling her creativity (and who knows, maybe she had a fight with Tom Ford and totally whupped his arse and burnt her fashion industry bridges?), she began attending art school to study acting.

Naturally Olga began auditioning for French language films, and in 2005 she starred in the film L'Annulaire. It's not a well known film but it was critically acclaimed and earned her the Certificate of Excellence as Best Actress at the 2005 Brooklyn International Film Festival, along with plenty of praise at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival.

She went on to star alongside the likes of Elijah Wood in Paris, je t'aime, and more recently appeared with Timothy Olyphant in Hitman as one of her first major English-speaking roles. She also starred in Le Serpent, where she bared all in some rather obtuse bondage scenes.

With casting done and dusted, she managed to land one of the most sought-after roles in modern cinema in 2008, playing Camille in the upcoming James Bond movie, which is expected to be released in November 2008.

According to the media release, Olga Kurylenko "will play the dangerously alluring Camille, who challenges Bond and helps him come to terms with the emotional consequences of Vesper's betrayal." Oooh, sounds just like every other Bond Girl...

Olga Kurylenko's filmography includes films like the aforementioned L'Annulaire (2005), Paris, je t'aime (2006), Le Serpent (2006), Suspectes (2007), Hitman (2007), Tyranny (2007), and of course the James Bond spy movie Quantum of Solace (2008).

Clearly Olga is just at home on the set of a French art-house film as she is in a modern day American action flick.

From Ukrainian nobody to top French model -- to in-demand A-list actress -- Olga Kurylenko is now one of Ukraine's best-known celebrities alongside Aleksandra Nikolaenko, Mila Kunis, and Inna Tsinbalouk, and has a long acting career ahead of her.

With an amazing visage, a stunning body, and a rumoured street fighting ability that would make Van Damme cry for his mummy, Olga Kurylenko's star is most definitely on the rise.