Maria Valcheva Bakalova (born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Actor Award, and a… Maria Valcheva Bakalova (born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Actor Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Born and raised in Burgas, Bakalova began her career in Bulgarian cinema while attending the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts. She mostly portrayed dramatic roles in films such as Transgression (2017), The Father (2019), Last Call (2020), and Women Do Cry (2021). She rose to prominence after starring in the 2020 mockumentary-film Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which earned her the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress and a nomination for the Academy Award in the same category.
Maria Bakalova has since had starring roles in films of various genres, including Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) and The Apprentice (2024), portraying Ivana Trump in the latter. She also had voice-roles, including in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) as Cosmo the Spacedog, the DC Universe series Creature Commandos (2024) and The Bad Guys 2 (2025).
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