Lera Abova
Details
Alternate Names: Valeria Smirnova, Валерия Смирнова, 莱拉·阿波瓦
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Full Biography
Valeria Smirnova, known professionally as Lera Abova, is a Russian-German model and actress born on 4 November 1992 in the village of Slavgorod in Siberia, which she describes as too small to appear on maps. At age 13, she moved to Germany, where she initially struggled with the language barrier, using an electronic translator to communicate and facing difficulties connecting with peers due to cultural differences. She wore a pink Pokémon T-shirt and had long, distinctive hair. Abova dropped out of school before her final exams at either 18 or 19. Her modeling career began in 2016 after being discovered by David Sims, leading to collaborations with agencies including Select Model Management, Oui Management, and Fabbrica Milano Management. She quickly gained recognition, working with renowned photographers such as Colin Dodgson and Mariano Vivanco, and styling teams from Vogue internationally. In 2017, she was cast by Luc Besson as Maude in the film Anna, alongside Sasha Luss. She has also portrayed Thea in Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin and was cast as Nico Robin in Netflix's adaptation of One Piece.
