When her grandmother took down the curtains to wash them, little Stefka Yanorova turned them into royal robes. She would curl up in them, walk around the yard and play princess. Years later, the stage truly became her place, and on October 16, the actress turns 57.
Yanorova was born in 1969 in Stara Zagora. She grew up in an artistic family - her father, Ivan Yanorov, is a sculptor and a wrestler. She spent her summers with her grandmother in Nova Zagora, where her first children's "roles" were born.
The first main role came before the academy
Her path to professional theater began unusually. Before being accepted into the VITIZ, she went to test shots for the film "The Foreigner's Nephew" by Mariana Evstatieva-Biolcheva. The casting turned out to be a conversation with another child, not a traditional monologue or exam. Thus, at the age of 18, Yanorova received her first main film role.
In 1993, she graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic Arts and Sciences "Krustyo Sarafov" in the class of Prof. Krikor Azaryan. Years in theaters in Sliven and Pleven followed, freelance work and a period in the Satire Theater. Since 2009, she has been part of the troupe of the Bulgarian Army Theater.
The audience also knows her from the screen - as Vanya in The Glass House, as well as from her appearances in Danube Bridge, Revolution Z, Lyudmil and Ruslana, Mission London, Vampires, Goblins, Buffer Zone and other productions. In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio in 2025, she summarized her attitude towards both arts with the words: “Cinema for me is like a parallel program“.
The first one-man show brought a nomination for “Icarus“
The current highlight in Yanorova's theatrical work is “The Elephant in the Room“ – her first one-man show. The text and direction are by Elena Telbis, and the story follows a meeting with a therapist and the tension in the relationship between parents and children, including the topic of drug addiction.
In June 2026, the show was presented in the main program of the International Theater Festival “Varna Summer“. Speaking to BTA, Yanorova described the transition to one-man shows as a major personal and professional step. "I've received many offers so far, but I've turned them down," said the actress, explaining that she was usually attracted to the partnership on stage.
Her role in "The Elephant in the Room" also earned her a nomination for "Icarus 2026" in the category for leading female role. Yanorova is also among those nominated for her participation in "Three Sisters" by Chekhov.
Birthday with new meetings with the audience
Among her current commitments is the film "Three Kilograms of Happiness", in which she plays a mother who decides to carry a child for her own daughter. The production raises questions about surrogacy, motherhood and the limits of self-sacrifice.
On her very birthday, Stefka Yanorova is included in the program of Theater 199 with the play “Theater, My Love!“. The production brings together four actresses from Krikor Azaryan's class - a circle that began more than three decades ago at the academy and continued on stage.
From the children's curtains in Nova Zagora to the big theater stages, Yanorova's path passes through cinema, TV series and dozens of performances. Her latest stop is the one-man show - a form in which the actress is alone in front of the audience for the first time, but not without the stories accumulated over the years.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, bta.bg, trud.bg