Smoking hot actress Margarita Levieva is a naturalised American these days and star of a string of popular TV shows, with a healthy resume of film credits too. But she was born in Russia - in Leningrad, as it was known in the old USSR, now St. Petersburg - on 9 February 1980. She initially looked like achieving success in an entirely different field. Margarita began training in rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 3. She was one of Russia's most promising upcomers. Then at age 11, she emigrated with her mother and twin brother to New York. Margarita had regional successes competing in the US, and hoped to go to the Olympics, but as her family were undocumented at the time, it was imposiible. She went instead to New York University, completing a degree in economics.
But acting was always her passion and she went on to study at the Meisner Training Program at the William Esper Studio. Since a guest appearance in Law & Order: Trial By Jury in 2005, Margarita has had a string of television successes in shows like the Fox series Vanished and HBO's How To Make It In America. She is best known for her long running roles in the ABC drama series Revenge and as Gina Zanetakos on The Blacklist. Television success has brought a burgeoning movie career also, seeing her star in movies such as The Invisible, Noisem, Adventureland, Knights Of Badassdom, Spread, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl and Loft. New York Magazine has named her among the 50 Most Beautiful People in New York.
