Verka Serduchka
| Andriy Danylko | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko |
| Also known as | Verka Serduchka |
| Born |
2 October 1973 Poltava, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Origin | Ukrainians |
| Genres | Comedy, parody, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, singer |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | CD Land, mamamusic |
| Website | www.serduchka.com |
| Andriy Danylko's studio photo of his Verka Serduchka character | |
 [1] 1+1 channel
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![[1]](http://image.tsn.ua/media/images2/original/Jul2007/4029.jpg){kind=link}
Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko (Ukrainian: Андрі́й Миха́йлович Дани́лко; born 2 October 1973), better known for his drag stage persona Verka Serduchka (Ukrainian: Вєрка Сердючка), is a Ukrainian comedian and pop and dance singer. Danylko represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 as Verka Serduchka and finished in second place. Serduchka has sold over 600,000 records during her career in Ukraine.
As a character actor, Danylko has also appeared in over a dozen television films and is also known for appearing as Serduchka in the comedy film Spy starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, and Miranda Hart.
Andriy Danylko was born to a Surzhyk-speaking working-class family in Poltava. In 1980, at seven, he lost his father to lung cancer. An avid amateur performer since childhood, he graduated from the Kiev State College of Circus and Variety Arts.
In 1990, Andriy Danylko began to create the character of Verka Serduchka, a flamboyant middle-aged woman from a rural family, working as a railroad sleeping car attendant. Danylko presented Serduchka publicly for the first time in a Poltava comedy competition on January 4, 1991. He invented the character's name by combining the randomly picked first name Verka and the last name of a former school classmate, Anya Serduk.
Danylko later gave his Serduchka character a "mother," played by actress Inna Bilokon, who had been Danylko's close friend since school.
After Verka Serduchka, Danylko created other characters, such as a police officer, a soldier and a female ballet dancer. He established the troupe "Danylko Theater" to tour the cities of Russia and Ukraine. In 2002, Danylko, along with his group, toured in the CIS and Baltic countries with the program "I am a Revolution" for the whole year. The following year he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine soon after the Danylko Theater concert tour "I Was Born for Love".
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