Vera Jordanova ( bg, Вера Йорданова; born 28 August 1975) is a Bulgarian-Finnish model, actress and

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

author.

Early life

Vera Jordanova was born on 28 August 1975 in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, to

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

musicians. Due to Jordanova's parents' profession, Vera spent the early part of her youth traveling with them in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

. At the age of seven, Vera was relocated to live with her grandmother in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

where she started school. In her teens, Jordanova's parents relocated the family to Finland where she graduated from high-school specializing in language studies. She is fluent in

, Finnish and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and speaks some Russian and has basic knowledge of Spanish and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Career

Modeling Shortly after she moved to Finland, she was discovered by the premiere Finnish modeling agenc
Paparazzi
Soon Vera was seen on national magazine covers, advertising campaigns, TV commercials and became a familiar face in the Finnish media. Modeling opened the doors to traveling abroad and with that to work for internationally known designers and brands. Vera spent the next ten years living and working in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

's June 2007 edition of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

''. Vera has modeled for designers and brands such as

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer. He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 ...

Thierry Mugler Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fo ...

, Isabel Marant, Jean Charles de Castelbajac,

Claude Montana Claude Montana (29 June 1947 in Paris) is a French fashion designer. His company, The House of Montana, founded in 1979, went bankrupt in 1997. Early life and Design career Born in Paris in 1947 to a Catalan father and a German mother, Montana be ...

Armand Basi Armand Basi (1924-January 9, 2009) was a Spanish businessman and fashion designer, co-founder of the fashion firm bearing his name. In 1948, along with his brother Josep (d. November 2007), Basi founded a small knitting company inspired by their ...

, Clarins,

Marimekko Marimekko Oyj is a Finnish textiles, clothing, and home furnishings company founded by Viljo and Armi Ratia in Helsinki in 1951. Marimekko made important contributions to fashion in the 1960s. It is particularly noted for its brightly colored pri ...

, Felina Lingerie,

Bacardi Bacardi Limited (; ) is one of the largest privately held, family-owned spirits companies in the world. Originally known for its Bacardi brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 an ...

, Budweiser,

Schweppes Schweppes (, ) is a beverage brand that originated in the Republic of Geneva; it is made, bottled and distributed worldwide by multiple international conglomerates, depending on licensing and region, that manufacture and sell soft drinks. Schwep ...

, Speedo, Lexus, Saks 5th Ave and Stilla to name a few. Jordanova was featured in the 2006 '' Maxim'' calendar and has appeared in '' FHM'' and the

's June 2007 edition of ''

''. Acting Jordanova started her acting career in Finland, where she appeared in a few Finnish TV series, such as Isänmaan Toivot. Her debut in American cinema was in Eli Roth's horror sequel '' Hostel II'', playing the part of Axelle, a mysterious woman who works for Elite Hunting to lure tourists into the

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

n "death factory" for worldwide clientele of torture aficionados. In 2021 Vera landed the main role in the Bulgarian TV drama series Belezi where she portrays the provocative and manipulative Vera Dermendjieva. Cookbook In 2014 Vera published a memoir cookbook ''Don't Miss a Bite: Stories and Flavors from around the World'' ( WSOY). The book, which was first published in

, explores food, culture and identity in the form of 100 recipes, short biographical stories and Vera's own drawings and photography.

Publications

Filmography

Television

Music videos

References

External links

Instagram
*
Official Site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordanova, Vera 1975 births Living people Finnish people of Bulgarian descent Writers from Helsinki Finnish film actresses Finnish female models Finnish television actresses Finnish expatriates in the United States Actresses from Helsinki Cookbook writers