Chulpan Khamatova is an outstanding actress, one of the most vivid representatives of drama art. Chulpan Khamatova is the People’s Artiste of Russia and the winner of the State Award of the Russian Federation. She is a leading actress of the famous Sovremennik theater in Moscow. Her name is translated from Tatar as “a morning star”, which is totally in tune with her character.
Chulpan Khamatova was born in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan on October 1, 1975. Her parents worked as engineers and were far from theatre. And yet their children got very good aesthetic and intellectual bringing up: Chulpan’s younger brother Shamil Khamatov is an actor of the Sovremennik Theater too.
Chulpan Khamatova manifested her talent as an actress since childhood: she adored dancing and singing. The girl was extremely impressionable and timid.
After finishing a physical and mathematical school, Chulpan Khamatova entered the Economy Institute. Soon, however, she quit the institute and devoted herself to the theater.
She studied in a theatre college in Kazan and was transferred into GITIS, the State Institute for Theatre Arts. In the third year of training Chulpan Khamatova was offered a role in the feature film Dancer's Time. It was her first success. Upon graduation from GITIS in 1997 the beginning actress played a role in The Diary of Anna Frank. It was her graduation work.
Since 1998 Chulpan Khamatova has been playing on stage of the Sovremennik Theater and is one of its leading actresses.
Along with the Sovremennik Theatre, Chulpan Khamatova can be seen on stage of the Moon Theatre, the Central Drama Theatre and the Chekhov Theater. The actress is constantly growing and developing in terms of professional skills, mastering a wide range of nuances, including the language of deaf-mutes (which was required in the cult film Country of the Deaf starring her).
Chulpan Khamatova was often invited to perform in German stage productions, such as Tuvalu, England, Victor Vogel – the Advertiser, and Good bye, Lenin.
Chulpan Khamatova has played in a number of famous films, including 72 Meters, Moon Daddy, The Country of the Deaf, Brownie, Children of the Arbat, Greek Vacation, etc.
Apart from film and drama Chulpan Khamatova has tried her wings as a TV host in the Other Life talk-show, and as a co-host in the telecasts Wait for Me and Look.
Charity takes a very important place in public life of the actress. Chulpan Khamatova is actively engaged in solving numerous social problems concerning children with incurable diseases; she arranges charity concerts and various actions, donating part of the profit for their medical treatment. In 2006 Chulpan Khamatova and her friend actress Dina Korzun organized the Gift Life charity foundation, which has raised over 500 million rubles for treatment of children’s oncology diseases.
On March 21, 2012 Chulpan Khamatova was entitled the People’s Actress of Russia. She is a holder of prestigious awards and prizes. On June 12, 2015 she became the winner of the State Award of the Russian Federation.
Chulpan Khamatova is married to the film director and producer Alexander Sheyn and has 3 daughters.