✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Maria Bakalova

Maria Bakalova biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Maria Bakalova Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 3 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth4 June 1996

Age24 Years (as of 2020)

BirthplaceBurgas, Bulgaria

ProfessionActress

NationalityBulgarian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyMother - Rumiana Bakalova

Maria Bakalova Biography

Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova broke into international recognition with her role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm after establishing herself in Bulgarian

Early life and background

Maria Bakalova was born on 4 June 1996 in Burgas, Bulgaria. Raised in her hometown, she developed a strong interest in the performing arts from an early age. As a child she studied singing and learned the flute before deciding to pursue acting as a way to explore a wide range of characters and experiences.

She attended the National School of Arts in Burgas, where she majored in acting, and later continued her training at the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia.

Career

Bakalova began appearing on screen in Bulgarian productions. Her first television credit listed is the series Tipichno (2015), and she made her feature film debut in 2017 with XIIa, playing the character Milena. After that, she worked in several Bulgarian short films and features, including Kalinka (2018), Due to Unforeseen Circumstances (2019), Dream Girl (2019), and the drama Transgression (2018), in which she portrayed a teenager named Yana. Her performance in Transgression won her the Best Actress prize at the Alternative Film Festival in Toronto in 2018.

In 2020 Bakalova appeared in the Bulgarian film Last Call as Alexandra, a young woman whose storyline centers on a crisis and its attempted resolution through the care of another person. That same year she took on the role that brought her international attention: Tutar Sagdiyev in the American mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In that film she plays a young woman who travels to the United States with her father and becomes central to the picture’s plot. Her work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm led to multiple awards and recognitions in 2020, particularly in supporting and breakout performer categories, including honors from several critics’ organizations.

Her growing profile also coincided with representation developments: in November 2020 she signed with Creative Artists Agency, a major Los Angeles–based talent agency.

Public profile

Physically, Bakalova is listed at approximately 165 cm (1.65 m or about 5'5") tall, with black hair and black eyes. She is Bulgarian by nationality and has been publicly described as unmarried. Her mother is named Rumiana Bakalova; her father’s name is not provided in the available information.

In interviews she has described an early appetite for literature and disciplined study, recalling a fondness for heavy reading as a teenager. She has also named actresses she admires, including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Natalie Portman, and cited several series she follows, such as Dark, Money Heist, and Unorthodox.

Awards and recognition

Bakalova’s awards record reflects rapid attention after her breakout work. She received Best Actress at Toronto’s Alternative Film Festival for Transgression (2018). In 2020 she won a series of Best Supporting Actress awards and a Breakout of the Year honor from multiple critics’ associations and film journalist groups for her performances that year.

Personal notes

Publicly available details include that Bakalova has several tattoos: one on her hip, one on her left arm, and tattoos on her ankles. She has spoken about early musical training and a strong interest in acting as a means of imaginative escape. Reports indicate she drinks alcohol and smokes.

Latest updates

As of late 2020, Bakalova had moved into U.S. representation by signing with Creative Artists Agency and had been widely recognized for her role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Her credits through 2020 include both Bulgarian titles and international work that raised her profile among critics and audiences.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Maria Bakalova, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
◈

Recent Work

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Played Tutar Sagdiyev, the young woman who travels to America with her father in the American mockumentary.

2020
Last Call

Appeared as Alexandra, a young woman whose storyline involves an emotional crisis.

2020
Transgression

Played Yana, a teenager in a relationship with an older man; won Best Actress at the Alternative Film Festival.

2018
XIIa

Feature film debut in 2017 as Milena.

2017
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Feature film debut in XIIa (2017)
  2. Best Actress at Alternative Film Festival for Transgression (2018)
  3. Breakout international recognition for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
  4. Multiple critics' awards in 2020 for supporting and breakout performance categories
  5. Signed with Creative Artists Agency (November 2020)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Maria Bakalova born?

Maria Bakalova was born on 4 June 1996.

What is Maria Bakalova known for?

Maria Bakalova is known for actress.

What is Maria Bakalova’s marital status?

Maria Bakalova's marital status is listed as Unmarried.