Sometimes the viewer recognizes the actor without seeing him. A pause, a low timbre or the way a line lingers in the air are enough. Thus, Vasil Binev has been entering the homes of the Bulgarian audience for decades – first with his stage roles, and then with the voices of characters performed by some of the most popular actors in world cinema.
Born on October 13, 1957, Binev turns 69. His training began with acting for puppet theater under Prof. Nikolina Georgieva, and then he graduated in drama theater in the class of Prof. Nadezhda Seikova.
From stage worker to the troupe of the "Bulgarian Army" Theater
In the early 1980s, the actor worked as a stage worker and lighting technician at the Drama Theater in Kyustendil. Later, he played at the "Yordan Yovkov" Drama Theater in Dobrich and the "Adriana Budevska" Drama Theater in Burgas. In 1989 he joined the "Bulgarian Army" Theater, where he remained until 2011.
Among his film appearances are "Evenings at the Antimov Inn", "Policemen and Criminals", "The Blue Bird" and "Santa Claus's Grandson". He later appeared in "The Tree of Life", "Sex, Lies and TV: Eight Days a Week", "A Dose of Happiness", "Beaujolais", "The Little Marquise" and "The Lies in Us". In "Stolen Life" plays businessman Ivo Fotev.
The voice that viewers recognize
Vasil Binev gained the widest popularity with dubbing. With his voice, characters played by Alain Delon, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Michael Douglas and Mel Gibson "speak" for the Bulgarian audience. The list of productions he has worked on includes “The Bold and the Beautiful“, “Cassandra“, “At the Scene of the Crime: Miami“, “Klätsni/Srezhi“, “Lost“, “Desperate Housewives“ and “Prison Break“.
Binev himself says that the most difficult thing for him was to find the Bulgarian equivalent of Eddie Murphy's energy and unpredictability. On the other hand, Lieutenant Horatio Kane from “Crime Scene: Miami“ became one of the characters with which viewers most often associate him.
Recognition also came from the professional community. On March 27, 2010, Vasil Binev received the “Icarus“ award in the “Golden Voice“ category for his dubbing in the series “Marriage with a Foreigner“. The distinction affirms dubbing as an independent acting skill, and not simply as an invisible part of television production.
The meeting with Silvia Lulcheva
The film dubbing studio is also important outside of his professional path. It was there that Vasil Binev met the actress Silvia Lulcheva, with whom he later created one of the well-known acting families in Bulgaria. The two are winners of the “Icarus“ in the “Golden Voice“ category.
In front of Cultinterview, Binev said that for a long time he did not feel the desire to return to the theater, because dubbing brings him the same professional challenge. “I would be lying if I told you I didn't enjoy it“, he says of the audience's reactions after his appearance in “Stolen Life“.
Thus, his career remains connected to two faces of the acting profession - the visible presence on stage and the emotion that reaches the viewer only through the voice.
Sources: bta.bg, bntnews.bg, cultinterview.com