Maksim Chmerkovskiy is a Ukrainian-American dancer, choreographer, businessman and teacher. On the show that dances with the stars, he was often dubbed the bad boy of the ballroom due to his 15-year cast on the show. He has acted in many Broadway, theater shows and television series.
Early life
Maksim Chmerkovskiy was born on January 17, 1980 in Odessa, Ukraine. His parents’ names are Aleksandr Chmerkovskiy and Larisa Chmerkovskiy. He has one sibling named Valentin Chmerkovskiy. He started dancing at the age of 4 and his parents enrolled him in a school for aesthetic education. Maksim pursued an aesthetic education. The aim of the school was to train children to be young gentlemen or young ladies, along with training in etiquette and ballroom dancing. He has not revealed any details about his higher and further studies.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s career
In 1994 his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, giving him many opportunities for his dance career. At the age of 15 he started dancing in a local Russian restaurant. Working there as a dancer led him to take part in various competitions. From 2003 to 2005 he took part in various dance competitions. The names of the competitions were La Classique de Quebec, Ohio Star Ball Latin, All England, Philadelphia Dancesport Festival, Moscow Kremlin Cup, Nevada Star Ball, Manhattan Dancesport and others. At the age of 16, he opened a youth-focused competitive dance studio in New Jersey called the Rising Stars Dance Academy.
From seasons 2 to 25 he was on a reality show called Dancing with the Stars. His partners were Tia Carrere, Willa Ford, Laila Ali, Melanie Brown, Misty May-Treanor, Denise Richards, Debi Mazar, Erin Andrews, Brandy Norwood, Kirstie Alley, Hope Solo, Melissa Gilbert, Meryl Davis, Amber Rose, Heather Morris, and Vanessa Lachey.
He has also acted and choreographed in various theater and Broadway projects. Some of the works have been credited as Le Reve, Ballroom with a Twist, Burn the Floor, Sway: A Dance Trilogy, Forever Tango, Maks & Val Live on Tour and many other works. He has also appeared in various television series including The Cube hosted the show, H8R, The Exes, General Hospital, Fuller House and other shows.
Recent Controversy
He recently slammed Kirstie Alley, his former partner, on Dancing with the Stars. On her now-deleted Twitter account, she posted a comment on the Russo-Ukrainian war. He was trapped in the country’s capital, Kyiv, and has shared plenty of news about the situation on his social media. Kirsti posted
“I don’t know what is real or false in this war. So I don’t comment. I’ll pray instead.”
In response he mentioned
“Dear Kirstie, we haven’t spoken in a while, but I clearly remember being right next to you when you organized relief trucks during Hurricane Sandy, and I remember everything you told me about situations where innocents suffer. The same energy is needed right now. No one needs your prayer if you don’t know what is real and what is false.”
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Social media
Maksim is active on social media and provides information about the situation in Ukraine. He also shares pictures of himself, traveling and dancing with his partners. On his Twitter account he has 597.3 thousand followers while on Instagram he has 1 million followers.
Maksim Chmerkovskiy biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy |
| date of birth | January 17, 1980 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 42 years |
| place of birth | Odessa, Ukraine |
| nationality | Ukrainian |
| job | choreographer |
| religion | Judaism |
| sun sign | Capricorn |
Physical Statistics | |
| height | in feet inches – 6′ 2” – in centimeters – 188 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 87kg – in pounds – 192 pounds |
| shoe size | 12 (USA) |
| Hair color | dark brown |
| eye color | light brown |
| body type | Sporty |
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Family | |
| father | Aleksandr Chmerkovskiy |
| mother | Larisa Chmerkovskaya |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | Valentin Chmerkovskiy |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | – |
| University | – |
Relationship status | |
| marital status | Married |
| Who is Maksim Chmerkovskiy’s wife? | Peta Murgatroyd |
| children | Shai Aleksander Chmerkovskiy |
Personal life
In 2009, he was engaged to a DWTS pro named Karina Smirnoff for nine months. Later in 2012 he started dating Peta Murgatroyd, a DWTS pro, for 10 months. He reunited in October 2014 and got engaged on December 5, 2015. He was known to propose to Murgatroyd onstage for a performance of Sway: A Dance Trilogy in Miami, Florida.
On January 4th, 2017, they were blessed with a son named Shai Aleksander. He tied the knot with her at a private ceremony in Long Island, New York on July 8, 2017.
The net worth of Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Chmerkovskiy earned a lot as a professional choreographer. He has worked on reality shows, hosted one show, acted in TV series and owns a dance academy. According to sources, his net worth was estimated at around $8 million.
Facts About Maksim Chmerkovskiy
- He has a younger brother who is also a professional dancer.
- He also showed interest in swimming, soccer and tennis.
- At the age of 13 he broke his right leg in a skiing accident and had a titanium rod used to stabilize his leg. However, he recovered in 6 months.
- Maksim also owns several socially competitive dance studios under the Dance With Me brand, located primarily in the New York metropolitan area.
- He choreographed for Zendaya’s music video called Neverland from a Broadway show called Finding Neverland.
- Maksim starred as a bachelor in the Ukrainian version of the dating reality series.
- He starred as a judge in the Indian TV series Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.