Stefan Valdobrev facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stefan Valdobrev
Background information
Birth name	Stefan Kostadinov Valdobrev
Born	(1970-05-20) 20 May 1970 (age 56) Stara Zagora, PR Bulgaria
Occupation(s)	Actor, composer, musician, filmmaker
Years active	1991–present

Stefan Kostadinov Valdobrev (Bulgarian: Стефан Костадинов Вълдобрев; born 20 May 1970) is a talented Bulgarian artist. He is an actor, a composer for films and theatre, a singer-songwriter, and a filmmaker. He studied acting at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia.

Stefan Valdobrev became well-known in the early 1990s because of his popular songs. These songs made him very famous in Bulgaria. He was even named the best male artist twice at the National Music Television ceremonies. Even with his music success, he continued acting in many plays, from classic stories to comedies. Around the same time, he started composing music for films and theatre. Since 1992, he has created music for over 70 plays and 20 movies, winning many awards. In 2008, he composed the music for the film The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner. This film won many international awards and was even considered for an Academy Award in 2010.

Later, Stefan Valdobrev focused more on being a film actor. In 2004, he starred in Burning out, and won an award for Best Male performance at the National Film Awards. From 2006 to 2007, he studied film directing in Prague. After that, he directed short films, TV shows, and music videos. His first full-length film as a director was the documentary My Mate Manchester United in 2010. This film won two international awards and was shown at 21 major film festivals around the world. After being away from the music stage for nearly ten years, Stefan Valdobrev reunited with his band "The Usual Suspects" in 2012. They started recording new songs and performing live concerts again.

Early Life

Stefan Valdobrev was born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. His parents, Maria and Kostadin Valdobrev, were both civil engineers. Stefan also has a sister named Iva.

As a child, Stefan loved arts and football more than school. He once said that he spent most of his time at the stadium, cinema, and circus. He would play football, explore with friends, and act out scenes from movies. School was not as exciting for him.

He learned to play the piano for a long time, but then switched to the guitar. He became interested in theatre and joined a local amateur group at a chitalishte. This was a Bulgarian community center where people could learn and practice different arts. It quickly became like a second home to him. He rehearsed plays, studied guitar, and wrote poetry and songs. He made his acting debut as the King in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. At 18, he performed his first solo concert with his own songs. He also formed a rock band called "Alleya Alya".

Stefan went to a High School for Foreign Languages in Stara Zagora. This school was more relaxed than others in Communist Bulgaria at the time. His teachers noticed he often got distracted. To help him learn English, they gave him tasks like listening to and writing down song lyrics. He would then perform these songs with his guitar and translate them for his classmates. These daily "concerts" helped him learn a lot. Later, when he traveled as a street musician, he knew over 300 world hit songs.

In 1989, Stefan started studying English at Sofia University. However, he soon left to join the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts. There, he became part of a very successful acting class. Many of his classmates became important figures in Bulgarian theatre.

Career

Acting

Theatre

Stefan Valdobrev portraying Sart in People from Oz, 2013

Even before finishing their studies, Stefan and his friends were very active in professional theatres. They performed in plays like Sam Shepard's Angel City and William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. In 1993, Stefan joined the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. He then served in the military and moved to the Bulgarian Army Theatre. He stayed there for 10 years, acting in many important plays.

In 1997, an independent theatre company called La Strada created three popular shows with the Bulgarian Army Theatre. One of these was The Master and Margarita. Stefan was part of the cast and spent the next five years touring and performing these plays at major European theatre festivals.

In 2007, Stefan returned to theatre as a freelance actor. He worked with director Galin Stoev on plays by Yana Borisova. Their shows, like Small Play for a Children’s Room (2008) and People from Oz (2013), were very successful and won many awards.

Film

Valdobrev on the set of the film Burning Out, 2003

In the early 1990s, Stefan appeared on Bulgarian National Television in a popular student show called "Coo-Coo". After this, he looked for more challenging roles in films. He started with small parts in international co-productions. His film career began in 2000 in the Bulgarian-Macedonian film Warming Up Yesterday's Lunch. In 2003, he got his first main role in the TV comedy Encounter.

His big break in movies came in 2004 with Burning Out. In this love story, Stefan played an Italian doctor named Enrico Corsa. His performance was highly praised and won him the Best Actor award at the Golden Rose Film Festival. In 2007, he acted in the American-Bulgarian political thriller Trade Routes. He also had a small role in the 2007 TV war drama L'Aviatore.

In 2008, he worked with director Stefan Komandarev again in the acclaimed film The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner. Stefan played a Bulgarian emigrant named Stoyan. This film was very successful, winning many awards and being shown in 72 countries. It was even shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2010. That same year, he starred in The Glass River, a mystery film where he played a priest. In 2012, Stefan played the main role in the comedy drama Migration of the Belted Bonito. He played Simo, a poor painter of Orthodox icons. Critics called this film "one of the finest comedies of the newest Bulgarian cinema".

Music

Film and Theatre Music

While studying at the Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, Stefan Valdobrev was often asked to compose music for the plays he acted in. This helped him gain practical skills. By the time he finished his acting education, he had already written music for 10 plays. His work caught attention, leading to many professional opportunities. He has composed music for over 70 theatre plays and 20 feature and documentary films, earning many awards.

In 1999, director Stefan Komandarev asked him to compose music for his first film, Dog's Home. Stefan wrote the film's music and six songs. The Original Soundtrack was the first ever released Bulgarian movie soundtrack and was very successful. The song Is it me, or is it not? became a classic. Stefan won the Golden Rose award for his music in this film. He continued to work with Komandarev on other films, including The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner in 2009. Both the film and its soundtrack were very popular.

Stefan's musical style is hard to describe because it changes a lot depending on the project. He can create sad and emotional music, lively Balkan gypsy music, classic orchestra scores, or calm ethno-ambient tunes. He sometimes uses light jazz or even funny circus-like themes. His music is also influenced by styles like New Romanticism and World music.

Even though he didn't go to a special music school, Stefan worked with many great Bulgarian musicians and orchestras. He believes that being an actor helps him compose music for other actors. He feels he understands what they need on stage or screen. He says that all art forms are about telling stories and sharing emotions.

Popular Music

Valdobrev with his band The Usual Suspects, 2012

Stefan started writing songs when he was 17. At first, he mostly put music to his poetry and performed it with his guitar. At 19, he had his first solo concert, performing 22 of his own songs.

In 1988, he formed a band called Alleya Alya. Their music was a mix of new wave, psychedelic art rock, and ethno elements. They performed some gigs and recorded music, but unfortunately, those recordings are now missing. The band broke up two years later when Stefan went to study acting.

Even with his busy studies, he continued to sing and joined the growing music scene in Sofia. In the early 1990s, Bulgaria was full of excitement and freedom after the fall of communism. This was a great time for rock music. Many new bands appeared, bringing fresh sounds.

His first song released was "May," a new wave-like track played on National Radio. The next year, while on the TV show Coo-Coo, his song "Cinema" became popular. It was later included in the show's first album and was Stefan's first released song ever.

In 1993, he started working on his first solo album. Since he was busy with films and theatre, he invited skilled rock and jazz musicians to help. Three musicians became the core of his band for future tours and albums: Ivan Lechev (guitarist), Stoyan Yankoulov (drummer), and Vesselin Vesselinov (bass-guitar). Later, Miroslav Ivanov joined as a guitarist in 1999.

The music on his first records was a mix of alternative rock, new wave, and ethno jazz. But a funny song he created with his friend Kamen Donev became an unexpected hit. They made it up on a long trip, using keys for percussion and rapping over a simple tune called "I love you, my dear." They recorded it quickly, and it was so catchy that it was released as a single. It became very popular and gave its name to the album, which sold over 130,000 copies.

In 1996, Stefan and Kamen worked together again on an album called Revolution. This album used folklore and gypsy songs with many traditional instruments in a rock style. In 1995, Stefan also released a collection of his theatre music called A Night at the Theatre.

1998 was a big year for him. His solo album ...to was released and quickly became a huge success. It had five number one hits: ...to, Heaven, One, Wolf, and Yes. This album won Stefan awards for Best Male Artist and Best Album. ...to showed a new musical direction, with influences from Britpop and alternative rock. Even with some Bulgarian folk music elements, the main sound was guitar-based. Many people still consider ...to to be one of the most important pop albums in contemporary Bulgarian music.

In the following years, Stefan Valdobrev's career reached its peak. He toured a lot for his albums and had 12 number one singles in Bulgaria. He continued to mix different styles into his music. He performed the song Is it me, or is it not? for the 1999 film Dog's Home, which became a major hit. He won the Best Male Artist award again that year. He later became the first artist to sign with Universal Music Bulgaria.

In 2000, he changed his musical style again, moving towards more experimental and less radio-friendly music. His sixth album, Propaganda, Chromosomes, Silicon, explored industrial music and alternative rock. It was a more personal and serious album. While it received good reviews, it didn't have major hits.

In 2001, Stefan decided to focus mainly on his acting career and took a long break from music. He released only a few singles during this time, like "Fireworks" in 2006 and "The Riverbank Most Green" in 2009. He also did some sold-out concerts, performing his theatre and film music with an orchestra. In 2007, he was nominated for Best Male Artist of the decade. After almost ten years away from the rock stage, Stefan Valdobrev rejoined his old band "The Usual Suspects" in 2012. They recorded new songs like "Helicopter" and "Snow on the Sahara" and started performing live again.

Directing

Filming My Mate Manchester United, 2008

From 2006 to 2007, Stefan Valdobrev studied film directing at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU). There, he made several short films. His graduate short film Hide (2007) led to a professional friendship with the famous Mexican director of photography Antonio Riestra.

Back in Sofia, he started working on a documentary film called My Mate Manchester United. This film tells the story of a 48-year-old football fan who legally changed his name to Manchester United. Stefan wanted to show the journey of this man's unusual dream and create a picture of modern Bulgaria through the lives of ordinary people. The film follows the main character from his small town to Old Trafford Stadium, where he meets his idol, football star Dimitar Berbatov. The film explores ideas about who we are and who we want to be.

My Mate Manchester United premiered on 10 March 2011 at the Sofia International Film Festival. It has since won two international awards and was shown at 21 major film festivals around the world, including IDFA Amsterdam and HotDocs Toronto.

Stefan Valdobrev has also been developing new feature film projects.

Personal Life

In 1996, Stefan Valdobrev married his high school sweetheart, Jana. They met when they were 10 years old in Stara Zagora. Stefan says that growing up together and sharing memories has made their relationship strong. In 1998, Jana gave birth to their daughter, Maria.

Three weeks after Maria was born, Stefan had a serious car accident. He was badly injured and couldn't move or work for a year. Because of this, he couldn't be in the Oscar-nominated film East/West, even though he had been cast to act alongside famous actresses.

Social Life

The year 1989 was very important for Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. The fall of the Communist regime in Bulgaria led to demands for more democratic changes. Stefan Valdobrev became part of the strong student movement that grew in the following years. Students organized mass demonstrations, street riots, and barricade protests. In 1990, students caused a National strike by occupying all universities for over a month, which led to the resignation of the Communist President. The next year, another student strike led to the resignation of the Prime Minister.

On 31 December 2006, Stefan Valdobrev hosted Bulgaria’s celebration concert for joining the EU. The event was held in Battenberg Square in Sofia, and 80,000 people attended.

Filmography

Actor

Composer

Director

Producer

Theatre

Actor

Composer

Discography

Albums

Singles

Tours

Music Videos and Films

Images for kids

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  Stefan Valdobrev