Biography
Sasha Kerbel was born in Moscow, Russia, to Lev Kerbel (1917–2003), the USSR's most renowned sculptor, and Maria Kerbel (1953–1995). She grew up alongside her sisters, Katya Kerbel, now an artist, and Julia Kerbel, an artist and designer. Sasha is a professionally trained actress, having graduated with honors from the Institute of the Russian Theatre. She also holds degrees from the Moscow State Academy of Fine Arts and in journalism.
From a young age, Sasha knew she wanted to be a professional actress. Her natural talent for entertaining and making people laugh was evident to everyone around her, leaving no doubt about her future path. Around age 11, her sister Katya started a theater group at their school. Their performances and concerts were highly successful, with Katya directing and Sasha playing lead roles. This marked the promising beginning of Sasha's acting journey. However, her boundless curiosity led her to explore other fields: at 14, she and Katya formed a rock band, though it lasted only two months before they decided it wasn’t their true calling. At 15, Sasha tried journalism, working as a reporter for the major Moscow youth newspaper "Moskovskiy Komsomolets." Her talent quickly earned her a spot on National Channel 3’s TV News, and by 17, she was recognized as one of Russia’s best young TV reporters.
Despite still dreaming of an acting career, Sasha found little time for it while juggling her demanding TV news role and college studies. During a turbulent period in Russia, at age 19, she faced several dangerous situations covering serious topics. Concerned for her safety, her supervisors reassigned her to safer, more routine assignments, which she soon found dull. On a rare day off, she auditioned for Moscow’s popular FM station "Maximum" and was hired the same day. Quickly, Sasha became a DJ and host of her own program. She soon hosted MTV’s special daily radio news, as well as the Morning Show, Friday night, and Sunday night shows. She also frequently co-hosted on other stations, including the BBC. Sasha rose to stardom. Though invited to be an evening VJ for MTV Russia, she declined due to contractual conflicts. Instead, she hosted her own music show on Channel 31, which was broadcast via satellite to over 200 countries. Since age 17, she also worked as a voice-over artist for commercials and various audio and video projects, including narrating Discovery Channel programs in Russian.
Sasha’s radio and TV career advanced rapidly—by 2007, she hosted shows on three different stations. Yet her passion for acting never faded. Eventually, she realized she could no longer ignore her dream. She left her radio and TV career abruptly to fully dedicate herself to acting.
True to form, Sasha made an impressive start: she auditioned, was accepted into a Moscow performing arts college, and secured a contract with the renowned Moscow theater "U Nikitskikh vorot." She graduated with honors in 2011. That same year, she starred in the lead female role in "Devyatoe oblako" (2010) ("Cloud Nine"), a short film by Korean director Youngrelee Kim, which won "Best Short" at the International Film Festival "The Bridge" (Canada/Serbia). Sasha continued performing in theater while building a successful film and television career in Russia. In 2013, American director Timothy Hines cast her as Miss Grupe in "10 Days in a Madhouse" (2015), a historical drama about Nellie Bly, a legendary 19th-century investigative reporter. After the film’s release, Sasha was invited to remain in the U.S. to continue her acting career.
Sasha Kerbel now resides in Los Angeles, California. She is married and has a son.
