Maria Bakalova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Bakalova
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| Мария Бакалова | |
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Bakalova in 2024
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Maria Valcheva Bakalova
4 June 1996 Burgas, Bulgaria
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| Alma mater | National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Awards | Full list |
Maria Bakalova (born June 4, 1996) is a talented actress from Bulgaria. She has won several important awards, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award, which are two of the biggest honors in movies!
Maria grew up in Burgas, Bulgaria. She started her acting journey in Bulgarian films while studying at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. At first, she mostly played serious roles in movies like Transgression (2017) and The Father (2019).
She became very well-known after starring in the 2020 comedy film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In this movie, she played Tutar Sagdiyev, the daughter of the main character. Her amazing performance earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Since then, Maria has acted in many different types of films. These include the horror movie Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and The Apprentice (2024). She has also lent her voice to characters, like Cosmo the Spacedog in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). She also voiced Princess Ilana Rostovic in the DC Universe animated series Creature Commandos (2024).
Contents
Maria Bakalova's Early Life and Acting Journey
Growing Up and Starting Out
Maria Valcheva Bakalova was born on June 4, 1996, in Burgas, Bulgaria. Her parents are Rumyana Bakalova and Valcho Bakalov. From a young age, Maria showed a love for the arts. She started taking singing lessons and playing the flute when she was about six years old.
When she was 12, Maria began acting classes. She focused on drama theater and also studied the flute at the National School of Music and Stage Arts in Burgas. She was a very dedicated student and always got top grades. Maria once said, "I was a super-disciplined child. I was reading too many books." She even loved reading books by the famous writer Fyodor Dostoevsky when she was only 15 or 16!
As a teenager, Maria enjoyed reading books by authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Mikhail Bulgakov. Reading helped her explore new worlds. She was inspired to become a film actress after watching the movie The Hunt. Filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg became a big influence on her.
Maria later moved to Sofia to study drama at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. While she was a student, she performed in several plays. These included Kennedy's Children and The Trial.
First Roles and Recognition
Maria made her first appearance on screen in 2017. She had a small role in the comedy-drama film XIIa. In the same year, she got her first main role in the movie Transgression. She played Yana, a young girl with a unique connection to an older rock musician. Maria got this role after a classmate signed her up for an audition during her first year at university.
Transgression was shown at many film festivals in Europe and North America. It was later released on HBO Max in 2021. In 2018, Maria won the Best Actress award at Toronto's Alternative Film Festival for her performance in the movie.
During her third year of studies, Maria helped filmmakers Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov. They taught the only film acting class at her academy. She even traveled with them to a film set to learn how movies are made. One of the directors asked her to audition for a small part in their film The Father (2019). She got the role and filmed a short scene as a younger version of a character. The Father won a major award at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It was also chosen to represent Bulgaria at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Maria was very interested in Danish movies. She convinced her parents to take her to Denmark before she graduated. There, she visited the film studio Zentropa. She even asked if she could work as an assistant on a film by director Lars von Trier. She was told she would need to learn Danish, which she agreed to do! She started learning the language before graduating with her Bachelor of Arts degree. In 2019, she moved to Los Angeles. Maria then starred in the 2020 comedy-drama Last Call as Alexandra. Critics liked her performance, saying she brought "warmth and lyricism" to the film.
Maria Bakalova's Hollywood Success
Becoming a Star
In 2020, Maria Bakalova became a global sensation. She starred as Tutar Sagdiyev in the comedy film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In the movie, she played the daughter of the fictional Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, played by Sacha Baron Cohen.
Her performance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm was highly praised by critics. Many said it was one of the best performances of the year. Matt Fowler from IGN said Maria was "every bit Sacha Baron Cohen's on-screen equal." Justin Chang from the Los Angeles Times called her performance "terrific."
For her role, Maria won several awards, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was even nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards. Maria made history as the first Bulgarian actress to be nominated for these major awards.
After Borat, Maria starred as Sonja in Women Do Cry (2021). Sonja is a 19-year-old who finds out she is HIV positive. The film received good reviews at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. In the same year, Maria became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that votes for the Academy Awards.
In 2022, Maria appeared in the horror film Bodies Bodies Bodies alongside Amandla Stenberg and Pete Davidson. She also joined the cast of Judd Apatow's comedy The Bubble (2022). After lending her voice to Cosmo the Spacedog in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), she starred in the romantic comedy The Honeymoon (2022). This was her first time also helping to produce a film.
Maria then appeared in the film Fairyland (2023). She returned as Cosmo the Spacedog in the superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). She also did the motion capture for the character, meaning her movements were used to bring Cosmo to life. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 earned over $845 million worldwide, making it Maria's highest-grossing film.
In 2024, Maria starred in Electra. She also made a quick appearance in Jerry Seinfeld's movie Unfrosted (2024). Maria then played Ivana Trump in The Apprentice (2024), which was shown at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. She also worked again with the directors of The Father on the comedy Triumph (2024), which she also produced. This film marked her return to Bulgarian cinema after her success in Hollywood.
Maria Bakalova has several exciting projects coming up. She will star in the action thriller Dirty Angels and the sci-fi comedy drama O Horizon. In April 2024, she was cast in the Apple TV+ action adventure film Mayday.
Maria Bakalova's Film and TV Roles
Film Roles
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | XIIa | Milena | |
| Transgression | Yana | ||
| 2019 | The Father | Young Valentina | |
| 2020 | Last Call | Alexandra | |
| Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Tutar Sagdiyev | ||
| 2021 | Women Do Cry | Sonja | |
| 2022 | Bodies Bodies Bodies | Bee | |
| The Bubble | Anika | ||
| The Honeymoon | Sarah | Also producer | |
| 2023 | Fairyland | Paulette | |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | Cosmo the Spacedog (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Electra | Francesca | |
| Unfrosted | Rada Adzhubey | ||
| The Apprentice | Ivana Trump | ||
| Triumph | Slava Platnikova | Also producer | |
| Dirty Angels | The Bomb | ||
| 2025 | The Bad Guys 2 |
Pigtail (voice) | In production |
| TBA | O Horizon |
Abby | Post-production |
| Mayday |
TBA |
Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Borat's American Lockdown & Debunking Borat | Tutar Sagdiyev | Episode: "Borat's American Lockdown" | |
| 2022 | The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special | Cosmo the Spacedog (voice) | Television special | |
| 2023 | Marvel Studios: Assembled | Herself / Cosmo the Spacedog | Episode: "The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" | |
| 2024–2025 | Creature Commandos | Princess Ilana Rostovic (voice) | 7 Episodes |
Awards and Nominations
Maria Bakalova has received many honors for her acting. She won a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020).
She was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Additionally, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globe Awards. All these nominations were for her amazing performance in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020).
See also
In Spanish: Maria Bakalova para niños
- List of Bulgarian Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of European Academy Award winners and nominees
