Sergei Bodrov Jr. was born on December 27th, 1971 to producer and director Sergei Bodrov. He made his film debut in his father's Le prisonnier du Caucase (1996) (Prisoner of the mountains) for which he won a Nika. From then on Sergei's career began. In 1997 he played a lead role in Frère (1997) which turned him into a star and made him one of the most known and beloved Russian actors.He followed up the role with Frère 2 (2000) in 2000. He made his directorial debut in 2001 with Syostry (2001). The movie was a hit with audiences and critics alike.In 2002 he was supposed to direct a movie, "Messenger", for which he traveled to the Caucasus mountains. On September 20th 2002, an avalanche due to a glacier slide came down from the mountains. Bodrov and his production group are still reported missing, believed killed. He is survived by his wife and two children, a four year old daughter and a two-month old son.