Biography
Nadya Todorova was born on November 1, 1925, in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria. She did not start her career as an actress right away. As a child, Nadya dreamed of becoming a ballerina. After finishing high school, she enrolled in the Law program at Sofia University. During the vacation after her first year, she saw an advertisement in Asenovgrad announcing auditions for actors at the municipal theater. This marked the beginning of her acting career at the municipal theater in Asenovgrad. Later, director Luben Groys invited her to Smolyan, and she went on to perform in theaters in Pazardzhik, Sliven, and Gabrovo. Although she had no formal training, she possessed immense talent.
Her film debut came in 1974 with the movie "Tough Love," directed by Ivan Andonov. Nadya Todorova appeared in over 40 Bulgarian films. After acting alongside Kosta Tsonev in "Year of Mondays," he referred to her as "the greatest actress of small roles" and called her the Bulgarian Anna Magnani. She performed with remarkable naturalness and spontaneity, frequently collaborating with director Ivan Andonov, who considered her one of his favorite actors and whom she regarded as her mentor in cinema. Following "Fairy Dance," she appeared in nine more of his films: "Roof," "Cherry Garden," "Shining Example," "Ladies Choice," "White Magic," "Dangerous Charm," "Dreamer," "Yesterday," and "Rio Adio."
Besides working with Ivan Andonov, Nadya starred in films by other Bulgarian directors, including "Illusion" by Ludmil Staykov; "With Love and Tenderness" and "Where Are You Going?" by Rangel Vulchanov; "Double" and "Master for a Day" by Nikolai Volev; and "In the Name of the People," "War of the Hedgehogs," and "Carnival" by Ivanka Grabcheva. Her filmography also includes "Notes on Bulgarian Uprisings" and "Daughter in Law."
Nadya had a daughter named Antoaneta Nikolova Temenugova, who worked as a restorer in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2005, Bulgarian National Television produced a documentary about Nadya Todorova titled "Smart Village." On February 28, 2009, the "great actress of small roles" became a widow. A year later, on March 3, 2010, the TV channel Europe aired a film about her titled "The Great Actress of Small Roles." Nadya Todorova passed away after a long illness on June 21, 2016, in Prague, Czech Republic.
