Karina Smirnoff

Karina Smirnoff Headshot

Dancer

Birth Date: January 2, 1978

Age: 46 years old

Birth Place: Kharkiv, Ukraine

Partners: Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Hot-blooded Karina Smirnoff, the resident bombshell of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ) was born in the Ukraine before making her way to America with her family at the age of 12. At the age of five, she was given ballet lessons and by nine years old, was introduced to ballroom dancing, immediately falling in love with it.

After high school, she graduated from Fordham University but put her academic studies on hold to pursue her ballroom dancing career in the United Kingdom. Karina and her former partner Slavik Kryklyvyy shared tremendous success winning the U.S. Championships and many other world titles and were ranked second in the world in the Latin division. Among her other achievements were Five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion.

Smirnoff first came on the radar during season three when she swung into a second place finish with partner and later real-life boyfriend, Mario Lopez. Not a bad start for a "DWTS" rookie. The next season, she finished fifth with Billy Ray Cyrus. The two would team up again after their last dance when Smirnoff guest-starred on his hit show, "Hannah Montana."

Her subsequent partners for consecutive seasons were boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., famed chef Rocco DiSpirito, R&B singer Mario, and billionaire Steve Wozniak. For season nine, she was partnered with boy-bander, Aaron Carter, but not before her well-publicized engagement to and subsequent breakup with fellow pro-dancer and her male equivalent in the sex appeal department, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Credits

Dark Feathers: Dance Of The Geisha

Actor
Amelia
Movie
2024

Rumba in the Jungle

Self
Show
2021

The Suki & Scott Show

Guest
Show
2021

Tango Shalom

Actor
Viviana Nieves - Dancer
Movie
2021

Superhuman: The Invisible Made Visible

Self
Movie
2020

Famously Single

Self
Show
2016

Bianca

Guest
Show
2015

Celebrity Name Game

Contestant
Game Show
2014

Across Grace Alley

Actor
Woman
Show
2013

Across Grace Alley

Actor
Woman
Movie
2013

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23Stream

Guest Star
Series
2012
85%

LIVE with Kelly

Guest
Talk
2011

Dr. Steve

Guest
Show
2011

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

Hollywood Uncensored

Guest
Show
2010

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards

Guest
Show
2009

The Wendy Williams Show

Guest
Talk
2008

The Better Show

Guest
Show
2007

Hannah MontanaStream

Guest Star
Madame Escajeda
Series
2006

Dancing With the StarsStream

Contestant
Reality
2005

The Insider

Guest
Show
2004

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

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