Before Volodymyr Zelensky became Ukraine's president, he was an actor, comedian and even the voice of Paddington Bear.
The eyes of the world have focused on the 44-year-old president since the break-out of the Russia-Ukraine war with special interest in his unusual background.
Zelensky's path to presidency started in show business.
He was famous for starring as an ordinary high school teacher who ended up becoming the president of Ukraine in a satirical comedy programme, Wales Online reports.
He is the voice of Paddington Bear in Ukraine and clips of the young president's stint on a dancing competition have been making the rounds on social media.
Here's how Volodymyr Zelensky went from actor to wartime leader.
Who is Volodymyr Zelensky?
Volodymyr Zelensky is the current president of Ukraine, having served in the office since May 2019.
Before entering politics, he was a comedian, satirist and actor.
Born in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine in 1978, Zelensky is the country's first Jewish president.
This is a significant milestone for Ukraine as an estimated 1.2-1.6 million Ukrainian Jews - among them members of Zelensky’s family - were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust.
During his comedy career, Zelensky starred in Servant of the People, a hugely popular satirical TV series.
In the show, he played a young high-school teacher propelled to Ukraine's presidency after his rant against corruption goes viral.
The show was so popular in Ukraine that in 2018, a political party taking its name from the series' title - Servant of the People - was registered in Ukraine.
Zelensky ran for the presidency on that party's ticket the following year.
In the Ukrainian presidential election of April 2019, Zelensky won by a landslide.
He won more than 70 percent of the second-round vote, defeating the previous incumbent, Petro Poroshenko.
Zelensky’s political style is somewhat populist - with particular emphasis on tackling corruption - and he is regarded as a social liberal.
He is also well known for his effective use of social media to communicate directly with the Ukrainian public.
