Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ex-actor, faces hardest role

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy took office in 2019, defeating Petro Poroshenko.
• He came to office looking to end corruption, boost the economy and quell tensions with Russia.
• The former actor, and trained lawyer, now faces his biggest role: avoiding invasion by Russia.

In his before life – as an actor on a popular satirical TV show – he was the accidental president, a history teacher whose online rant about corruption went viral and unexpectedly catapulted him to Ukraine’s highest office. 

Now, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is starring in what could turn out to be the greatest dramatic role of his life. Only it’s for real, as the boyish-looking 44-year-old stares down the barrel of what could be the most serious geopolitical conflict since the end of the Cold War.