Irina Pantaeva is a Russian-American model and actress. Pantaeva was born in Ulan-Ude, Buryat ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She is an ethnic Buryat-Mongol. Pantaeva started working as a model with designer Larisa Dagdanova in 1988 in Ulan-Ude. In...

Irina Pantaeva is a Russian-American model and actress. Pantaeva was born in Ulan-Ude, Buryat ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She is an ethnic Buryat-Mongol. Pantaeva started working as a model with designer Larisa Dagdanova in 1988 in Ulan-Ude. In 1992, she moved to Paris to pursue her modeling career. She succeeded in getting an appointment with Karl Lagerfeld, that allowed her to join in his fashion show and the world of haute couture. Pantaeva signed a contract with 'The Marilyn Agency″. In 1994, Pantaeva moved to New York City to further her career, and later appeared in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as Jade, As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me and bit parts in Celebrity, Zoolander and People I Know, in addition to filming a guest appearance on 3rd Rock from the Sun. She also featured in the off-Broadway play Jewtopia. While in New York City, she graduated from the theatre department at New York University.