Julian Kostov (born 25 August 1989) is a Bulgarian actor, filmmaker and talent manager. He is best known for his recurring role in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Shadow and Bone'' (2021), as well as for portraying Vladimir Makarov in '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III'' (2023). Kostov's other television credits include recurring roles in ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

'' (2018) and the '' Berlin Station'' (2018–2019). He has also starred in the films '' Another Mother's Son'' (2017), '' The Toxic Avenger'' (2023) and ''

The Last Front ''The Last Front'' is a Belgian epic period action drama film written and directed by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi. Set during World War I, it follows a widower farmer who becomes a war hero, Leonard ( Iain Glen), and his family as they are thrown i ...

'' (2024).

Early life and education

Kostov was born on 25 August 1989 in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

, Bulgaria. At the age of 12, Kostov became a

pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek language, Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) (). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Anci ...

champion for his age group. He was a 10-time National Swimming Champion from 2005 to 2009. In 2008, he earned the Master of Sport title in Swimming. Kostov holds over 60 medals as a professional swimmer, including a bronze medal at the 2007 Balkan Games. He attended the Spanish-language Frederic Joliot-Curie School in Varna, before entering post-secondary studies at

Tilburg University Tilburg University is a Catholic research university specializing in the social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities, located in Tilburg, Netherlands. Tilburg has a student population of about 19,1 ...

, where he majored in

international business International business refers to the trade of goods and service goods, services, technology, capital and/or knowledge across national borders and at a global or transnational scale. It includes all commercial activities that promote the transfer o ...

. After two years in the Netherlands, Kostov decided to move to the United Kingdom and pursue a career in acting, inspired by

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film care ...

's performance in ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...

''. He transferred to

Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff Metropolitan University () is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC; , ) which was established in 1996. The university offers degree courses in a variety of d ...

to finish his studies, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Studies in 2011. He was admitted to the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and charity in London, created with the aim of developing young people's artistic skills via theatrical productions and other creative endeavours. Founded in 1956 as the world ...

that same year. Kostov began auditioning for agents, eventually signing with one. He later switched to a different agent and landed a

Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...

commercial. During that period, he also took classes at Anthony Meindl's Actor Workshop in London.

Career

Kostov began his acting career in Bulgarian and British productions, including a two-episode guest arc on '' 24: Live Another Day'' in 2014. In 2016, he had minor roles in the films ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

'' and ''

London Has Fallen ''London Has Fallen'' is a 2016 political action thriller film directed by Babak Najafi and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Chad St. John, and Christian Gudegast. It is the second installment in the ''Has Fallen'' film s ...

''. He began doing

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...

and voice acting for video games. In 2017, Kostov starred as Feodor "Bill" Burriy in the independent British war film '' Another Mother's Son''. That same year, he appeared in the American horror film ''

Leatherface Leatherface is a character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise), ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' series. He first appeared in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) as the mentally disabled member of a family of deranged Human cannibalis ...

''. Kostov has had a number of television roles, including Timur in ''

'', Sergei Basarov in '' Berlin Station'', and Yuri Leniov in ''

Treadstone ''Treadstone'' is an American action drama television series, connected to and based on the ''Bourne'' film series. A "special preview" of the pilot aired on USA Network on September 24, 2019, ahead of its October 15, 2019, premiere. The seri ...

''. In 2021, Kostov played Fedyor Kaminsky in the first season of the

fantasy series '' Shadow and Bone''. In 2023, Kostov portrayed Vladimir Makarov in '' Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III''. He next starred in the superhero

splatter film A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...

'' The Toxic Avenger'' (2023), directed by

Macon Blair Macon Blair (born 1974) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, comic book writer and actor known for his roles in the films '' Blue Ruin'' (2013) and ''Green Room'' (2015), as well as his directorial debut ''I Don't Feel at Home i ...

. In 2024, Kostov starred in the Belgian period drama ''

'', and was cast in season 3 of ''

The White Lotus ''The White Lotus'' is an American Black comedy, black comedy drama Anthology series, anthology television series created by Mike White (filmmaker), Mike White for HBO that premiered on July 11, 2021. The series follows the exploits of the gues ...

''. He is also slated to co-produce and lead

Kristina Grozeva Kristina Yordanova Grozeva () is a Bulgarian filmmaker. She is best known for her feature films '' The Lesson'' (2014), '' Glory'' (2016), '' The Father'' (2019), and '' Triumph'' (2024). Early life and education Kristina Yordanova Grozeva was ...

and Petar Valchanov's '' Triumph'', and star alongside

Josh Hartnett Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. He began his career on American Broadcasting Company, ABC's drama series ''Cracker (American TV series), Cracker'' (1997–1998), after which he became known as a teen idol thro ...

in James Madigan's upcoming film ''Fight Or Flight''.

Other endeavours

In 2014, Kostov founded JupiterLights Productions, a Bulgaria-based production and talent management company. Their debut feature film ''The Dare'' was released in 2019. JupiterLights represents Bulgarian actress

Maria Bakalova Maria Valcheva Bakalova ( ; born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Maria Bakalova, various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Award, ...

in the United Kingdom. Kostov is also the co-founder of the production company Five Oceans alongside Bakalova.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

Filmmaking credits

* ''Early Birds'' (2015) – writer, producer * ''The Dare'' (2019) – producer, second unit director * ''What Stays After'' (2024) – producer * ''You Don't Exist'' (2024) – producer * ''Triumph'' () – producer, actor

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kostov, Julian Living people 1989 births 21st-century Bulgarian male actors Actors from Varna, Bulgaria Sportspeople from Varna, Bulgaria Talent managers Bulgarian film producers Bulgarian film directors Bulgarian male film actors Bulgarian male modern pentathletes Bulgarian male swimmers Bulgarian male television actors Bulgarian male voice actors Bulgarian expatriates in England Bulgarian expatriates in the United States National Youth Theatre members Alumni of Cardiff Metropolitan University 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen