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 ' (2023).
Kostov's other television credits include recurring roles in A Discovery of Witches (2018) and the Berlin Station (2018âÂÂ2019). He has also starred in the films Another Mother's Son (2017), The Toxic Avenger (2023) and The Last Front (2024).
Julian 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.
Kostov began his acting career in Bulgarian and then British productions, including a two-episode guest arc on ' 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 has had a number of television roles, including Timur in A Discovery of Witches, Sergei Basarov in Berlin Station, 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 '. 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. The same year, he co-produced and starred in Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov's Triumph. Kostov will star alongside Josh Hartnett in James Madigan's upcoming film Fight Or Flight.
In 2014, Julian 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 and Bakalova co-founded the production company Five Oceans.