Biography
Petar Ivanov Popyordanov, also known as Chocho Popyordanov, was a Bulgarian theater and film actor born on June 11, 1964, in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was the son of Ivan Popyordanov (born 1938), who served as the longtime Chief of the Boyana Film Studios cinema center and was Chief of Bulgarian National Television in 1998. Petar's mother, Katya, was a doctor. His father's family originated from Veles, Vardar Macedonia. Chocho's great-grandfather was a first cousin of Macedonian revolutionaries Chieftain Mile and his younger brother Jordan Popyordanov-Ortse, leader of the Thessaloniki bombers.
In 1989, Petar graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, specializing in Acting under Professors Krikor Azaryan and Todor Kolev. He also spent a year studying in the Czech Republic. He performed with the troupes of Theatre "Sofia," the Little City Theatre "Off the Channel," and joined the National Theater in 1994. His most notable theater roles included performances in "Outcasts," "Midsummer Night's Dream," "At the Foot of Vitosha Mountain," "The Tempest," "The Man Who Makes the Rain," "Kimono," "Decameron," "Ghosts in Naples," and "Hedda Gabler."
Chocho Popyordanov appeared in numerous films, such as "Yesterday" (1988), "Rio Adio" (1989), "The Love Summer of a Schlep" (1990), "Vampires, Ghouls" (1992), "Canaries Season" (1993), "Frontier" (1994), "Spanish Fly" (1998), "After the End of the World" (1998), "Danube Bridge" (1999), "Sombrero Blues" (1999), and "Wolf Hunt" (2000). He received multiple nominations and awards, including two nominations for the Asker Award in 1996 and 1997, and the Golden Bayar prize in Belgium for Best Actor for his role in the film "Border."
He also appeared on television, starring in the series "UFO Club" on Channel 1 and, starting in 2007, in the series "Outcasts" for Bulgarian National Television's Channel 1. He had two nephews, Helen and Peter Koshnicharski. Although posthumously, Chocho became the father to Ekaterina Petrova Popyordanova, a daughter he had adopted months earlier. He passed away on May 5, 2013, in Boyana, Sofia Province, Bulgaria, due to injuries sustained from a fall.
