Ivan Urgant was born on April 16, 1978, in Leningrad, USSR, which is now known as St. Petersburg, Russia. He is a multifaceted individual with a career spanning television hosting, presenting, acting, music, and production.
Ivan's family has a rich history in the entertainment industry, with his parents, Andrey Urgant and Valeriya Kiselyova, being actors themselves. His paternal grandparents, Nina Urgant and Lev Milinder, were also actors. Ivan's heritage is a blend of Russian Jewish, Estonian, and Russian.
Ivan's educational background includes studying at the Leningrad Children's Music School No. 18 and the Gymnasium at the State Russian Museum. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy. After completing his education, Ivan did not pursue a career in theater but instead worked as a waiter, bartender, and host in nightly shows in clubs.
In 1999, Ivan landed a job at a St. Petersburg radio station and began to appear on television, hosting the program Petersburg Courier on Channel 5. He later moved to Moscow and continued his radio career on Russian Radio and "Hit-FM".
Ivan's television debut in Moscow was in May 2001 on MTV Russia. He was invited to a casting and ended up hosting the show Cheerful Morning alongside Olga Shelest and Anton Komolov. From 2002, he began hosting the programs Total Show and Expresso on MTV Russia after the original team of VJs departed.
Starting from 2006, Ivan collaborated with Vladimir Pozner on the travel documentary series Travels of Pozner and Urgant.
Ivan has presented several notable events, including the finale of the Eurovision Song Contest Moscow 2009 in 2009 alongside Alsu, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Team Draw Show in 2017 with Gary Lineker and Maria Komandnaya.
In 2018, it was reported that Ivan had acquired Israeli citizenship.
