1. He’s the voice of Paddington in Ukraine
Studio Cana confirmed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Did Voice Paddington when the film was released in the country.
Although the idea of a world leader voicing a marmalade-loving Peruvian bear may seem a wild proposition, given Zelensky’s rise to power it’s perhaps not so strange.
2. He acted as Ukraine’s President in a TV show
In 2015, Mr. Zelensky starred as the lead character of Servant Of The People – a TV comedy series.
The show proved so popular that Kvartal 95 created its own political party named after the show, with Mr. Zelensky himself announcing his candidacy to become President of Ukraine in 2018.
3. Zelensky is Jewish.
Zelensky was born to two Jewish parents on January 25, 1978, in the Ukrainian town of Kryvyi Rih.
Zelensky spoke about his family’s Jewish heritage and losses in the Holocaust at an event in Israel in January 2020 marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
4. He won Ukraine’s version of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2006.
Mr. Zelensky, who was previously a comedian playing the president of Ukraine in a TV series before he became the actual president, won the very first season of the popular dancing show in 2006.
The Ukrainian president displayed excellent footwork and ballroom dancing – including one routine where the future president and his professional partner are blindfolded.
5. He wrote and starred in several films produced by a production company he co-founded, Studio Kvartal 95.
In 2005, Zelensky made his film and screenwriting debut in a musical-comedy version of “The Three Musketeers,” in which he played D’Artagnan.
6. He and his wife, screenwriter Olena Zelenska, have two children.
They share two children, 17-year-old Aleksandra and 9-year-old Kiril.
Zelensky met Zelenska in college, where she switched from studying architecture to writing and became a screenwriter for his production company
7. Zelensky studied law, but his career changed trajectories when he became involved with theater and comedy during college.
Zelensky earned a law degree in 2000 from Kyiv National Economic University, but he was active in theater and comedy during his studies.
MORE STORIES
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Comedy Show on Netflix
10 celebrities who have opted for surrogacy
Kanye west and Kim Kardashian children names and meaning
8. He has unconventional piano skills
One piece of his comedy team’s shtick was to pound the keys with their pants at their ankles and their hands in the air — leaving little room for guessing how the music was getting made.
