Biografia
Ivan Urgant, born on April 16, 1978, in Leningrad, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia), is a Russian television host, presenter, actor, musician, and producer. He is best known for his role as Boris in the 2010 film Six Degrees of Celebration. Since 2012, he has been the host of the show Evening Urgant.
Born into a family of actors, Ivan is the son of Andrey Urgant and Valeriya Kiselyova. His paternal grandparents, Nina Urgant and Lev Milinder, were also actors. He has Russian Jewish, Estonian, and Russian ancestry.
Ivan studied at Leningrad Children's Music School No. 18 and the Gymnasium at the State Russian Museum before graduating from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. Although trained in acting, he initially worked as a waiter, bartender, and later as a host for nightclub shows rather than pursuing theater professionally.
In 1999, Urgant began working at radio stations in St. Petersburg and appeared on television as the host of Petersburg Courier on Channel 5. He later relocated to Moscow, continuing his radio career on Russian Radio and then on Hit-FM.
Ivan made his Moscow television debut in May 2001 on MTV Russia. He was invited to audition when Olga Shelest and Anton Komolov were seeking co-hosts for the show Cheerful Morning. After the original MTV Russia VJs left in 2002, Urgant took over hosting duties for programs including Total Show and Expresso.
From 2006 onward, Urgant co-starred with Vladimir Pozner in the travel documentary series Travels of Pozner and Urgant.
On May 16, 2009, he co-hosted the Moscow 2009 Grand Final with former Russian Eurovision participant Alsu. In December 2017, he was one of the hosts for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Team Draw Show, alongside Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya.
In 2018, it was reported that Ivan Urgant acquired Israeli citizenship.
