Biography for Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum)

Date of Birth

16 May 1985, Sofia, Bulgaria

Birth Name

Stanislav Ianevski

Nickname

Stan

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Stanislav Ianevski is a Bulgarian actor born on May 16, 1985 He is known for playing Viktor Krum in the 2005 film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Ianevski was born in Bulgaria and has also lived in Israel and England, where he was known for his athletic skills. While attending Mill Hill School in the United Kingdom, Ianevski had no particular acting aspirations and was not a drama student. He had only auditioned for Potter after being spotted by Fiona Weir, a casting director who prompted him to attend an acting workshop, which resulted in his casting as Viktor Krum, a Bulgarian character in the Harry Potter series. He was selected from 600 others, most of whom had auditioned in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Ianevski's casting was announced in June 2004. During filming, he befriended fellow Potter actors Robert Pattinson and Emma Watson, who has referred to him as "very sweet". Ianevski character role was Krum where he was a Seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. In the 1994 Quidditch World Cup title game between Bulgaria and Ireland, he suffered a severe bloody nose during the match and caught the Snitch as quickly as he could to end the match, which handed victory to Ireland because Bulgaria was trailing by 160 points at the time (presumably Krum had known where the Snitch was the whole time but was waiting to catch it until his team was up by more points, a testament to his skill). He was considered a prodigy by many, having entered the International Quidditch League at an early age. Despite his success and fame, or perhaps because of it, Krum appeared to be unhappy and lonely, and was further characterized as being very quiet and reserved, though Hermione Granger said he was a genuinely nice person beneath the sullen exterior.

Krum was named Durmstrang champion upon entering his name for the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. He was often viewed with suspicion by his peers due to Durmstrang's reputation for teaching the Dark Arts, while looked upon with admiration for his feats, mainly by giggling Hogwarts girls. His wand was made of hornbeam with a dragon heartstring core, and was ten and one-quarter inches in length. Mr. Ollivander pronounced it "a Gregorovitch creation," and "rather thicker than one usually sees ... quite rigid."

Krum did not appear in the fifth book, but Hermione wrote at least one long letter to him that year, showing that they maintained contact (much to Ron's surprise). She turned down Krum's invitation to visit him at the end of term, preferring instead to spend the upcoming summer with the Weasleys. Ron seemed very happy that Hermione chose to stay with him instead of Krum.

Ginny Weasley mentioned in passing in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that Hermione and Krum had once kissed, although this is unknown. Ron then asked Harry if this was true. Harry believed she had, but didn't want to tell Ron, who nonetheless "gathered the worst from the look on Harry's face." At this revelation, Ron realized that he was the only one of the trio to have not yet had his first kiss (Harry had his the year previously with Cho Chang). Ron was so jealous, he got back at Hermione by dating and kissing Lavender Brown.

Krum briefly returned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as a wedding guest of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour. He talks to a disguised Harry about the lack of available women before having a heated discussion with Xenophilius Lovegood. He recognized a symbol that Xenophilius wore around his neck as the mark of Grindelwald, which is engraved into a wall at Durmstrang; the symbol is later discovered to actually be the mark of the Deathly Hallows.

Ianevski has a sister and several pets. He is a follower of the Bulgarian national football team. He also stars in the sequel to Eli Roth's Hostel, Hostel 2.