Julian Kostov

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 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 (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 (2024).

Early life and education
Kostov was born on 25 August 1989 in Varna, Bulgaria. At the age of 12, Kostov became a pentathlon 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, where he majored in international business.

After two years in the Netherlands, Kostov decided to move to the United Kingdom and pursue a career in acting, inspired by Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight. He transferred to Cardiff Metropolitan University to finish his studies, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Studies in 2011. He was admitted to the National Youth Theatre that same year. Kostov began auditioning for agents, eventually signing with one. He later switched to a different agent and landed a Gillette 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 and London Has Fallen. He began doing motion capture 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. Kostov landed a number of television roles such as Timur in A Discovery of Witches on Sky One, Sergei Basarov in Berlin Station on Epix, and Yuri Leniov in Treadstone. In 2021, Kostov played Fedyor Kaminsky in the first season of the Netflix 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 The Toxic Avenger (2023), directed by Macon Blair. In 2024, Kostov starred in the Belgian period drama The Last Front, and was cast in season 3 of The White Lotus. He is also slated to co-produce and lead Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's Triumph, and star alongside Josh Hartnett 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 in the United Kingdom. Kostov is also the co-founder of the production company Five Oceans alongside Bakalova.

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