ACTORS from Bulgaria

Top 7

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Bulgarian Actors of all time. This list of famous Bulgarian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Nina Dobrev (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 59.43, Nina Dobrev is the most famous Bulgarian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 70 different languages on wikipedia.

Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (Bulgarian: Николина Каменова Добрева; born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev ( DOH-brev), is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in the CW's supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2009–2015). Born in Sofia and raised in Toronto, Dobrev made her screen debut playing minor roles in various films, before landing her breakout role as Mia Jones in the drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2006–2009). She later rose to prominence with her role in The Vampire Diaries, and appeared in several feature films, including the 2012 coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the comedies Let's Be Cops and The Final Girls (2014), and the 2017 science-fiction drama Flatliners. Her biggest commercial success came with XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017). She also starred in the romantic comedies Dog Days (2018), Then Came You (2018), and Love Hard (2021), and had a leading role in the sitcom Fam (2019).

2. Nadya Nozharova (1916 - 2014)

With an HPI of 54.87, Nadya Nozharova is the 2nd most famous Bulgarian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Nadya Mateeva Nozharova (1916-2014), also known as Countess Nadya de Navarro Farber was a Bulgarian operetta singer and actress, American entrepreneur, philanthropist and Spanish countess.

3. Stoyanka Mutafova (1922 - 2019)

With an HPI of 53.82, Stoyanka Mutafova is the 3rd most famous Bulgarian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Stoyanka Mutafova (Bulgarian: Стоянка Мутафова; 2 February 1922 – 6 December 2019) was a Bulgarian actress. During her career, she starred in over 53 theatrical plays and 25 films Nicknamed Ms. Natural Disaster for a play she performed in and The Queen of Bulgarian comedy, she was an official applicant for a Guinness Book of World Record as the actress with the longest active professional career. At the age of 94 in 2016, she toured the theater halls in major cities of the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain and Germany.

4. Katya Paskaleva (1945 - 2002)

With an HPI of 52.35, Katya Paskaleva is the 4th most famous Bulgarian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Katya Paskaleva (Bulgarian: Катя Паскалева) was a Bulgarian film and stage actress, born in 1945, deceased in 2002. She is best known for her performance as Maria in the Bulgarian film classic The Goat Horn (1972), for which she received broad critical acclaim. Paskaleva is also known for her roles in the films The End of the Song (1971), Villa Zone (1975), Matriarchy (1977), Elegy (1982), Eve on the Third Floor (1987) as well as her numerous notable appearances on the stages of the Sofia Municipal Theatre and the Satirical Theatre "Aleko Konstantinov".

5. George Baker (1931 - 2011)

With an HPI of 50.42, George Baker is the 5th most famous Bulgarian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

George Morris Baker, MBE (1 April 1931 – 7 October 2011) was an English actor and writer. He was best known for portraying Tiberius in I, Claudius, and Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.

6. Stanislav Ianevski (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 49.71, Stanislav Ianevski is the 6th most famous Bulgarian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Stanislav Yanevski (pronounced [stɐniˈsɫaf ˈjanɛfski]; born Stanislav Rumenov Yanevski, Bulgarian: Станислав Руменов Яневски; on 16 May 1985) is a Bulgarian actor. He is best known for playing Viktor Krum in the 2005 fantasy film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

7. Maria Bakalova (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 45.12, Maria Bakalova is the 7th most famous Bulgarian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Maria Valcheva Bakalova ( bə-KAH-lə-və; born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. Born and raised in Burgas, Bakalova began her career in Bulgarian cinema while attending the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. She mostly portrayed dramatic roles in films such as Transgression (2017), The Father (2019), Last Call (2020) and Women Do Cry (2021). She rose to prominence after starring in the 2020 mockumentary film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Bakalova has since had starring roles in films of various genres, including Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and The Apprentice (2024). She also had voice roles, including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as Cosmo the Spacedog, and in the DC Universe series Creature Commandos (2024).