Olga Fonda
{{short description|Russian-American actress (b. 1982)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Olga Fonda
| image = Olga Fonda 2014.jpg
| caption = Fonda in 2014
| birth_name = Olga Tchakova
| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1982|10|01}}
| birth_place = Ukhta, Komi ASSR, RSFSR, USSR
| citizenship = {{hlist|Russia|United States}}
| alma_mater = University of Maine at Augusta
| occupation = Actress, model
| years_active = 2005–2019
| notable_works = {{ubl|The Vampire Diaries|Agent X (TV series)}}
}}
Olga Tchakova ({{langx|ru|Ольга Чакова}}; known professionally as Olga Fonda) is a Russian-American{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/19/olga-fonda-agent-x-learned-ballet-martial-arts-act/|title='Agent X' beauty Fonda learned ballet, martial arts for acting career|work=The Washington Times|date=19 November 2015|access-date=18 January 2018|archive-date=April 28, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160428062542/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/19/olga-fonda-agent-x-learned-ballet-martial-arts-act/|url-status=live}} film and television actress and model. She is also known for her role as Nadia Petrova in The Vampire Diaries (2013–2014).
Early life
Olga Tchakova{{cite web|url=http://www.esquire.com/women/me-in-my-place/olga-fonda-pictures-2011#fbIndex2 | title=Esquire Presents Me in My Place with Olga Fonda|first=Laura|last=Lane|date=2011 |work=Esquire|page=2|access-date=October 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007042853/http://www.esquire.com/women/me-in-my-place/olga-fonda-pictures-2011 | archive-date=October 7, 2011|url-status=live}} was born in the Siberian region of Russia and then lived in Ukhta, Komi ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union,{{cite web|url=https://www.onlinesentinel.com/archive/former-winthropexchange-studenttakes-on-hollywood.html| title=Former Winthrop exchange student takes on Hollywood| last=Adams|first = Betty | work=Morning Sentinel| location=Waterville, Maine | date= February 20, 2010| access-date=October 6, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006144822/http://www.onlinesentinel.com/archive/former-winthropexchange-studenttakes-on-hollywood.html |archive-date=October 6, 2011|url-status=dead}} in the country's Komi Republic. Her father, she said, "had grocery stores in one of the Russian villages that I grew up in". She has an older brother.{{cite web|url=http://pursuitist.com/the-overhead-compartment-with-olga-fonda/|title=The Overhead Compartment with Olga Fonda [interview]|work=Pursuitist|date=November 2015|archive-date=January 8, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160108160345/http://pursuitist.com/the-overhead-compartment-with-olga-fonda/|url-status=live}}
She moved to Maine in the United States for a year at age 14, as an exchange student living with the Auclair family in East Winthrop, Maine, while attending Winthrop High School from 1996 to 1997. She returned to attend the University of Maine at Augusta, majoring in financial management.
Career
While vacationing in Los Angeles, California, Fonda was scouted by agent Paul Fisher to pursue modeling,{{cite news|url=https://regardmag.com/10-things-olga-fonda/|title=10 Things — Olga Fonda [interview]|first=Shelby |last=Gottschalk|work=Regard|date=November 23, 2015|access-date=September 14, 2019| archive-date=February 22, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190222092215/http://regardmag.com/10-things-olga-fonda|url-status=live}} her longtime ambition. After acting in TV commercials, she played a Russian ballerina in the 2009 independent film Love Hurts.
Fonda, who has modeled since at least 2007 in Japan, Italy and the United States, went on to appear in television series including How I Met Your Mother, Nip/Tuck, Melrose Place, and Entourage, and played Owen Wilson's girlfriend in a nonspeaking role in Little Fockers.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} She was cast in the 2011 romantic-comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, though her scene did not make the final cut; she does appear in the film's trailer.{{cite magazine|last=Hyland|first=Veronique|title=Olga Fonda Talks Real Steel and Her Russian Roots|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com/bazaar-blog/olga-fonda-talks-real-steel-080811|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|date=August 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006142948/http://www.harpersbazaar.com/bazaar-blog/olga-fonda-talks-real-steel-080811| archive-date=October 6, 2011|access-date=October 6, 2011|url-status=dead|quote=Then I came to LA for vacation and I was scouted to pursue modeling. Eventually, I started doing commercial work, and here and there, appearances for TV shows, and then I got approached to do an independent film, Love Hurts, where I played a Russian ballerina.}}
In 2010, Fonda was cast in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. She had a supporting role in 2011's Real Steel.{{cite news|last=Ditzian|first=Eric|title='Breaking Dawn' Cast: Meet The New Faces |url= http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651027/20101028/story.jhtml|access-date=December 13, 2010|publisher=MTV|date=October 28, 2010|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171107221219/http://www.mtv.com/news/1651027/breaking-dawn-cast-meet-the-new-faces/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=McClintock|first=Pamela|title=Hope Davis joins Real Steel'|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/news/hope-davis-joins-real-steel-1118020058/|work=Variety|date=June 1, 2010|archive-date=June 28, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170628095028/http://variety.com/2010/film/news/hope-davis-joins-real-steel-1118020058/|url-status=live|quote=Two other additions to the lineup are James Rebhorn and Olga Fonda.}} She played Nadia in The Vampire Diaries. In 2018, she was cast in the role of Sarah in the Netflix series Altered Carbon.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-allison-miller-cast-in-abc-salamander-1202001760/| title=TV News Roundup: Allison Miller Joins ABC Pilot 'Salamander,' Olga Fonda to Appear on to Netflix's 'Altered Carbon'|date=March 3, 2017|first=Sarah|last=Ahern|work= Variety|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=February 17, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142244/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-allison-miller-cast-in-abc-salamander-1202001760/|url-status=live}}
In 2012, Fonda appeared in television commercials for the related companies TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.{{cite web|url=https://www.ispot.tv/ad/77Nl/tj-maxx-marshalls-and-homegoods-gifting-featuring-olga-fonda|title=TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods TV Commercial, 'Gifting' Featuring Olga Fonda| date=2012|access-date=September 14, 2019|publisher=iSpot}}{{cite web|url= https://www.ispot.tv/ad/77ug/tj-maxx-marshalls-and-homegoods-the-gifter-featuring-olga-fonda|title=TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods TV Commercial, 'The Gifter' Featuring Olga Fonda|date=2012|access-date=September 14, 2019|publisher=iSpot}} In 2015, she was cast as Olga Petrovka in Agent X, appearing opposite Sharon Stone.{{cite web|url= https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/agent-x-star-olga-fonda-wont-say-how-she-got-her-famous-last-name |title= 'Agent X' star Olga Fonda won't say how she got her famous last name |work=Fox News |date= November 5, 2015 |accessdate=12 January 2023}}
She is unrelated to the Fonda acting family and has said her reason for adopting that stage name "started as a mystery, [and so] I'm going to keep it a mystery. There’s really nothing to it but maybe one day I'll tell the story of how I got my name."Fonda in {{cite news|url=http://www.theroguemag.com/features/olga-fonda|title=Olga Fonda [interview]|work=Rogue|date=December 29, 2015| access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date= August 17, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160817003428/http://www.theroguemag.com/features/olga-fonda|url-status=live|quote= I got married this summer.}}
Philanthropy
Fonda supports the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital after being introduced to the charity by Jason Thomas Gordon, who started a campaign for the hospital called, Music Gives to St. Jude Kids.{{cite web|url= https://www.iconvsicon.com/2015/11/30/on-the-rise-olga-fonda-on-her-career-breakout-role-on-agent-x-and-more/ |title= On the Rise: Olga Fonda on her career break out role on 'Agent X' and more! |work=Icon Vision |date= November 30, 2015 |accessdate=12 January 2023}}
She is also a supporter of The Heroes Project, which was founded by Tim Medvetz to help wounded veterans.{{cite web|url= https://www.naludamagazine.com/olga-fonda/ |title= Olga Fonda Interview |work=Naluda Magazine |date= December 11, 2015 |accessdate=12 January 2023}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2009
| The Breakdown | Chloe | TV-movie{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} |
| 2009
| Valeriya | |
| 2010
| Svetlana |{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} |
| 2011
| Love | Russian girl | Uncredited{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} |
| 2011
| Captain Fork | Samantha | Short film{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} |
| 2011
| Danielle | Uncredited{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} |
| 2011
| Farra Lemkova | |
| 2011
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 |Valentina (Volturi Assistant) |Deleted scene{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} |
| 2013
| Olvidados | Lisa | {{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} |
| 2017
| Xibalba | Eli | {{Citation needed|date=September 2014}} |
| 2017
| 9/11 | Tina | |
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Television |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2006
| Nip/Tuck | Elena | 1 episode ("Liz Cruz") |
| 2007
| Model #3 | 1 episode ("I'm Coming Out'', uncredited{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} |
| 2009
| Sales girl | 1 episode ("Give a Little Bit") |
| 2009
| Candy | 1 episode ("Robin 101") |
| 2009
| Party girl | 1 episode ("Gower"), uncredited{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} |
| 2010
| Svetlana | Olga | 1 episode ("Yellowcake") |
| 2013–2014
| Nadia Petrova | Recurring Season 5 |
| 2013
| Nikita | Larissa | 1 episode ("The Life We've Chosen") |
| 2015
| Agent X | Olga Petrovka | Recurring Role |
| 2016
| Anna Novick | 1 episode ("Waiwai") |
| 2018
| Sarah | 1 episode ("Out of the Past") |
| 2018
| My Dead Ex{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} | Madame Fortuna |
| 2019
| Natalia | 2 Episodes ("The Groom", "The Bride") |
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Video games |
| scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2005
| |{{cite video game | developer=Luxoflux | title=True Crime: New York City | publisher=Activision | scene=Pause menu credits, 4:30:06 in, VOICE TALENT | year=2005}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|2044686|Olga Fonda}}
Audio/video
- {{cite AV media|url=http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/real-steel/interview-olga-fonda |publisher=(Video) TrailerAddict.com| title=Real Steel: Interview – Olga Fonda |date=2011 |access-date=October 6, 2011}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaAvk5T3lk|title=Fresh Face Talk: Olga Fonda — Shoot Me!| publisher=FashionTV|date=June 27, 2007|access-date=September 14, 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fonda, Olga}}
Category:Russian female models
Category:Russian film actresses
Category:Russian emigrants to the United States
Category:People from Winthrop, Maine
Category:Female models from Maine
Category:21st-century American actresses