 Jovovich was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union to a Montenegrin father – a doctor, and a Russian mother – an actress. In addition to English, she is fluent in French and partly in Russian. She had referred to the role the Russian culture played in her life when she stated in 2005: "I have a Russian mother, she was a famous actress in the USSR (Galina Loginova). And the first books, which I read, were in Russian. I was raised in the atmosphere of the Russian classical theatre school. The art, built on the system of Stanislavsky – that's the most realistic art. And the modern cinema stands on the same principle. A Russian person wants to find the truth. This is the base of the Russian culture. I never forget it, especially since I have Russian roots". Jovovich established a charitable foundation in 2005 to help Ukrainian children. At the time she referred to herself: "I am a strong Ukrainian girl, that is why I work a lot".
