Chulpan Nailevna Khamatova MAR (Russian: Чулпа́н Наи́левна Хама́това, Tatar: Cyrillic Чулпан Наил кызы Хаматова, Latin Çulpan Nail qızı Xamatova, born 1 October 1975) is a Russian film, theater and TV actress of Volga Tatar origin. Her name, Chulpan, means "morning star" (i.e. Venus) in Tatar.

Background

Born in Kazan, Tatar ASSR, in what was then the Soviet Union. Her parents are both engineers, and her father is managing director of a firm. She originally studied mathematics and economics in Kazan before switching to acting. She later continued her acting studies at Moscow State University and the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, and became a successful stage actress.

She is fluent in Russian, German, English, and Portuguese.

Career

Khamatova has starred in a number of German language films as well as in numerous Russian feature films and TV serials. She is known internationally for starring in Good Bye Lenin! (2003), as Lara, the girlfriend of the main character and his mother's nurse.