Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich, known professionally as Milla Jovovich, is an American actress, model and musician. She has appeared in numerous science fiction and action films, leading the music channel VH1 to deem her the "reigning queen of kick-butt" in 2006. In 2004, Forbes determined that she was the highest-paid model in the world.Born in Kiev, in Ukraine, Jovovich emigrated with her parents to London when she was five, and then to Sacramento, California; she finally settled in Los Angeles seven months later. In 1987, at the age of 12, she began modeling when Herb Ritts photographed her for the cover of the Italian magazine Lei.