Date of Birth

16 December 1994, San Diego, California, USA

Birth Name

Kiril Jacob Kulish

Mini Biography

Kiril's parents, Raisa Kulish and Phil Axelrod, emigrated from Ukraine in 1989 and settled near San Diego, where Kiril was born five years later. His mother is a concert pianist, and taught him to play. A big fan of sports and physical activity, Kiril also began dancing at a young age, concentrating on ballet and Latin ballroom. He has won numerous competitions and awards for dance. In 2008, his skills landed him a spot on Broadway as one of the three original Billys in Billy Elliot: The Musical. He and his co-stars, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik, jointly won the 2009 Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for the strenuous show.

Trivia

• He was the youngest male dancer admitted to the San Diego Academy of Ballet Junior Company.
• Won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for "Billy Elliot" along with fellow cast members David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik.
• Speaks Russian fluently.
• Won the Youth America Grand Prix (junior division) when he was 13, as well as the Hope Award a year earlier, in the pre-competitive division.
• National champion of Latin Ballroom in junior and youth divisions.
• Plays piano.
• His parents are Ukrainian Jewish immigrants.