Who is Volodymyr Zelensky? Ukraine's comedy TV star turned president

As the conflict continues in Ukraine following an invasion by Russian forces, one of the people the world has kept an eye on is President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Zelensky has led Ukraine through one of its most trying periods since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 - but how did he come to be in such a crucial position?

Believe it or not, 44-year-old Mr Zelensky was a famous TV star before entering the presidential office and starred in a satirical comedy series, Wales Online reports.

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Servant of the People was a show that depicted an ordinary high-school teacher, played by Mr Zelensky, who ends up becoming Ukraine's president.

It became so popular in Ukraine that it was one of the key driving forces behind Mr Zelensky's rise to power.

Volodymyr Zelensky was elected as Ukraine's president in May 2019.

He was born in 1978 in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, to Jewish parents. Some of Mr Zelensky's family were murdered during the Holocaust.

Mr Zelensky is Ukraine's first-ever Jewish president, an impressive milestone.

Before entering politics, Mr Zelensky followed a career in comedy and starred in the show Servant of the People in 2015.

Mr Zelensky played Vasiliy Petrovich Goloborodko, a high school teacher propelled to the presidency after a student’s video of him denouncing official corruption in Ukraine goes viral.

In the show, Goloborodko sets about running the country while eschewing the perks of being leader by keeping hold of his normal life.

Mr Zelensky also created the production company Kvartal 95, which produced Servant Of The People.

The show was a huge hit in Ukraine,