Anelia Dyoulgerova was born in the city of Varna, Bulgaria, in a middle-class family as the youngest of two daughters. At the age of eight, she was captivated by the art of synchronized swimming and trained every day until an injury brought her competitive sports aspirations to an end.
After a difficult period of reevaluation, she discovered the world of acting at the age of ten when her parents enrolled her in a youth theater troupe. Anelia fell in love with the stage instantly and dedicated herself wholeheartedly, juggling school, theater training, and family obligations.
At the age of twelve, she auditioned and was accepted to a more advanced theater troupe, which was well known across Europe for its remarkable youth theater program and unique performances incorporating puppets lit with ultra-violet light. Puppetry became her new passion.
At the age of fifteen, after attending a weekend carnival at her school, Anelia got in trouble for her "inappropriate Westernized" costume, which was dishonoring the Communist Labor Day Weekend. To show an example, her Superiors cut her short as a punishment for her "unacceptable" ideas and behavior.
Two years later, as an obligation to the communist doctrine, she reported to the semi-army boot camp for young women, where she performed her duties as a young cadet and successfully completed training, which included conventional battlefield exercises, first aid, and the use of firearms.
After graduating from high school, at the age of seventeen, she left Varna to follow her dream. Anelia auditioned at the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts in the capital city of Sofia and was accepted on a full scholarship after five rounds of elimination.
In 1996, Anelia graduated as an honors student with a Master's degree in acting and puppetry. During the next two years, she was cast in numerous film, theater, and television productions. In 1998, an invitation for her theater troupe to perform Off-Broadway theater in New York led Anelia to America.
After a remarkable run on the stage of the theatre "Miranda", Anelia took the chance of a lifetime and stayed in the US, starting a new life without the benefit of language or money. The immigrant's life put Anelia into the test, and she struggled to "fit in", learn the culture, and the language, often taking up to three different jobs to support herself and her family back home.
In early 2004, her love for acting led her further West to Los Angeles. Her first motion picture role was in License to Wed, where she co-partnered with Robin Williams as the bellydancer, along with John Krasinski and Brian Baumgathner, directed by Ken Kwapis.
Soon after, Anelia worked with Roland Joffee in Captivity, performing with Vivica Fox, Jean-Claude LaMarre, and Rudolph Moise in Trapped: Haitian Nights. Anelia's latest film appearance is in Welcome to Me, co-partnering with Kristen Wiig, directed by Shira Piven.
Her most recent works include Commercial for Axe, Print Ads for Bevel Eyewear, and a number of Voice-Over projects for several international productions and US TV series.
