Pom Klementieff Bio
Pom Alexandra Klementieff (born 3 May 1986) is a French actress best known for her roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly as Mantis, and for her performance in the Mission: Impossible series. Born in Quebec City, Canada, she was raised in France after her family experienced difficulties. Klementieff began her acting career in 2007 and has gained international recognition for her diverse roles in film and television.
Early Life and Background
Pom Alexandra Klementieff was born on May 3, 1986, in Quebec City, Canada, to Korean mother Yu Ri Park and Russian-French father Alexis Klementieff. Her grandfather was Russian painter Eugene Klementieff. Her parents chose the name “Pom” because it is similar in pronunciation to the Korean words for both “spring” and “tiger.” Klementieff’s father worked in Canada as consul for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Klementieff moved to Kyoto, Japan, and then the Ivory Coast before returning to France, settling an hour away from Paris. Klementieff’s father died of cancer when she was five, and her mother had schizophrenia and was unable to care for her children, so Klementieff was raised by her paternal uncle and aunt. Her uncle died on her 18th birthday, and her older brother Namou died by suicide seven years later, on her 25th birthday. Klementieff moved to Paris to study law to appease her aunt after her uncle’s death but did not find it appealing. She also worked as a waitress and saleswoman in France. She started acting at age 19 at the Cours Florent drama school in Paris. A few months into her education, she won a theater competition and two years of free classes with the school’s top teachers.
Path to Hollywood
Klementieff’s first professional acting job was the French independent film Après lui (2007), portraying the stepdaughter of the protagonist played by Catherine Deneuve. Filming for her scenes took three days. In one scene, Klementieff was supposed to push someone down a set of stairs but accidentally fell down the stairs herself, and director Gaël Morel kept that shot in the final film. Her first leading role was in Loup (2009), a French film about a tribe of reindeer herders in the Siberian mountains. During filming, Klementieff stayed in a camp, hours from the nearest village, where temperatures dropped well below zero. She befriended nomads who lived there, worked with real wolves, rode reindeer, and swam with a horse in a lake. Klementieff made her Hollywood debut in Spike Lee’s Oldboy (2013), a remake of the South Korean film of the same name. She portrayed Haeng-bok, the bodyguard of the antagonist played by Sharlto Copley. A fan of the original film, Klementieff heard about the part through Roy Lee, a producer with the remake, and took boxing lessons after learning the role involved martial arts. After showcasing her boxing skills during her audition, Lee asked her to go home and come back wearing a more feminine outfit and make-up, like her character in the film. Klementieff herself came up with the name Haeng-bok, Korean for “happiness,” after Lee asked her to research possible names for the character.
Pom Klementieff Career
Early Career (2007–2012)
Klementieff moved to Los Angeles after Oldboy was filmed and began pursuing more Hollywood auditions. She continued taekwondo after the film and has a purple belt as of the summer of 2014. Her next acting role was the film Hacker’s Game (2015), in which she plays a hacker she compared to Lisbeth Salander from the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Klementieff used her boxing skills again in the film, and due to the movie’s low budget, she had to do her own make-up and choose her own wardrobe. It was her idea to dye her hair purple for the role, to which the directors first objected but later acquiesced. In 2017, she appeared in the romance drama Newness and the black comedy-drama Ingrid Goes West.
Breakthrough (2013–present)
Klementieff received worldwide recognition when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Mantis, appearing in the films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). In 2019, she appeared in an episode of the Netflix science fiction anthology series Black Mirror and the thriller film Uncut Gems and had voice roles in the animated supernatural comedy film The Addams Family. In 2020, she had a recurring role as Martel in the HBO science fiction series Westworld. In 2023, she reprised her role as Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and appeared as the enigmatic assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. She is set to reprise her role in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2025.
Notable Works and Milestones
Pom Klementieff’s signature work includes her portrayal of Mantis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has garnered her international acclaim. She has also made a significant impact in the Mission: Impossible series, showcasing her versatility as an actress.
Pom Klementieff Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Pom Klementieff has received various nominations for her performances, particularly for her work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other notable films.
Pom Klementieff Awards Won
Pom Klementieff has achieved recognition for her performances, including awards for her roles in both independent and blockbuster films.
Pom Klementieff Family
Pom Klementieff was raised by her paternal uncle and aunt after her parents faced significant challenges.
Personal Life
Klementieff is a martial artist and holds a purple belt in Taekwondo. She is also an avid skydiver. When filming for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was completed, she was gifted skydiving lessons by Tom Cruise after she expressed her desire to learn how to do so. During her May 22, 2025, appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she stated that she had done 233 jumps.
