ОКСАНА АКИНЬШИНА

Oksana Akinshina was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), where she currently lives. Her father was a car mechanic and her mother an accountant. She has a younger sister. Starting acting at age 12, Akinshina was discovered by Sergei Bodrov, Jr., and she made her screen début in the Russian crime film Sisters (2001), Bodrov's own directorial debut. Her second film, Lilya 4-Ever (2001), earned her a 2002 European Film Award nomination for Best Actress. She lost, however, to the eight actresses of the film 8 Women (2002), directed by François Ozon.