Ivan Barnev was born on July 15, 1973, in Dobrich, Bulgaria, and his journey in the world of acting began when he graduated from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Art in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1996, under the guidance of Professor Stefan Danailov, with assistants Iliya Dobrev and Ivaylo Hristov.
After completing his studies, Ivan Barnev joined the Youth Theatre, where he made his debut with the role of Pinocchio in a performance directed by Andrei Avramov. He then went on to participate in the TV show Outcasts from 1998 to 2000, before continuing his work in the theater.
One of his notable roles was in the play "Dinner for Idiots", which earned him the Award "Asker" for A Rising Star in 2002. He also played the role of Billy Bibi in the dramatization of Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", directed by Alexander Morfov, for which he won the Awards "Asker" and "Icarus" in 2011.
In addition to his work in theater, Ivan Barnev has also been active in Bulgarian cinema, with roles in contemporary films such as "Footsteps in the Sand", "Voice over", "Lady Zee", "The Goat", and "Buffer Zone", all directed by Georgi Djulgerov. He has also appeared in "Lesson", a film directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov.
Ivan Barnev was nominated for best leading role at the Berlinale film festival in 2006 for his role as the young Jan Dite in the film "I Served the King of England", directed by Jiri Menzel. He is married to actress Margita Gosheva and they have one child together.
