Before becoming Ivo Andonov in “Undercover“, Zahari Baharov first got on stage almost by accident. As a child, he participated in a puppet theater as a breaker, and later at school he accepted a role in a production, although until then he had no interest in acting. “At school I was an absolute no-show. Nothing excited me“, the actor says of the time when his classmates invited him to participate in a performance.
This decision changed the direction of his life. In 1998, Baharov applied to the National Academy of Dramatic Arts and Film and was accepted from the first time into the class of Prof. Nadezhda Seykova. He graduated in 2002, and then began working on the stage of the National Theater. His cinema brought him wide popularity with the role in “Dzift“ in 2008, and in 2015 he appeared in the fifth season of “Game of Thrones“ as Loboda.
Family history that began in Anatolia
Behind the actor's public image is a family history related to resettlement and preservation of the language. Zahari Baharov's mother - Myuzhgyan, worked for many years as a journalist in the Turkish section of the Bulgarian National Radio. She is of Turkish origin, and her family originates from Anatolia.
According to the story presented by HotArena, Myuzhgyan's grandfather left Anatolia at the beginning of the 20th century to avoid being mobilized for the Balkan War. He then settled in the Burgas region and married a Bulgarian woman. Despite the change of place and family environment, he did not break the connection with his origins and continued to speak Turkish with his descendants.
Thus, the language became one of the threads that connected the generations. Myuzhgyan Baharova is fluent in it, and her son grew up in Sofia, in the "Ovcha Kupel" neighborhood, together with his younger brother Yavor. Their parents separated when Zahari was in early puberty, and they both stayed with their mother and her second husband.
From the family scene to the return of Ivo Andonov
The history of the family coexists with another important family line - that of two brothers who chose the same profession. Zahari and Yavor Baharov also went through a period of childhood conflicts, but over time their relationship changed. “Now that we have grown up, we understand each other only by looking at each other, without verbalizing things“, says Yavor Baharov.
Zahari Baharov himself is today the father of two children - Maxim and Kaya. For him, the family is part of his private life, which he rarely puts in the spotlight. “I'm afraid for my children. This fear appears the second they are born, and never goes away,“ says the actor.
On October 10, 2026, he returns as Ivo Andonov in the sixth season of “Undercover“. BNT announced the premiere after a ten-year break between seasons, and the role once again connects Baharov with one of the most recognizable characters in his career.
Sources: hotarena.net