Anna Leonidovna Kovalchuk (Russian: А́нна Леони́довна Ковальчу́к; b. 15 June 1977, Neustrelitz, East Germany) is a Russian actress.

Biography

Anna Kovalchuk was born on 15 June 1977, in Neustrelitz (GDR), into a family of hereditary teachers. Anna's mother managed a kindergarten, her father was the teacher, and her grandfather was the principal. Anna has an older brother named Pavel.

During her school days, Kovalchuk lived in Leningrad. The future actress also spent parts of her childhood in Yerevan and Moscow. At school the exact sciences, in particular mathematics, were her favorite subjects. Upon termination of secondary school, Kovalchuk intended to enroll in the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute toward a career in cybernetics. But after a time, she instead chose an acting career and enrolled in the Leningrad Theatrical Institute of Music and Cinematography (the Ampere-second course. Shvedersky) During her theatrical studies, Anna got acquainted with her future first husband, Anatoly Ilchenko. While still a student, she became involved in a theatre troupe called Lensoveta where director Gennady Trostjanetsky was searching for an actress to play the young heroine for his production of «Imaginary Patient» based on Molière's comedy Le Malade imaginaire. The premiere of her performance took place almost at once after Kovulchuk received her diploma, and almost simultaneously with her wedding.