Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Mel Gibson honors ‘The Passion of the Christ’ Bulgarian star Christo Jivkov after his death at 48

Hristo Zhivkov, 48, died April 1 2023.
Photo: Facebook/unionofactorsbg

Mel Gibson has expressed his condolences for Hristo Zhivkov, one of the stars of Gibson's 2004 hit film "The Passion of the Christ". 

Hristo Zhivkov, 48, died April 1 in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. 

“My dear friend Christo has lost his heroic battle with cancer. Right to the last moment he was filled with hope and his spirit was strong,” Gibson said. “I'll miss him but I know his suffering is over and he has eternal bliss. God keep him," the actor wrote in a statement. 

Jivkov starred as John the Apostle in Gibson’s epic "The Passion of the Christ," alongside Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ and Italian star Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. 

Gibson, who produced, directed and co-wrote the film, has kept in touch with the Bulgarian for 19 years and the two have not lost hope that there will be a sequel.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

"Don’t Close Your Eyes'' wins awards and gains popularity at international film festivals

The Bulgarian film ''Don’t Close Your Eyes'' has won five awards at the Christian Film Festival in the USA, BTA reported, citing the producers. It was awarded for Best Feature Film, Best Producer - Bogdan Darev, Best Actor - Alexander Kanev and Best..

published on 1/23/25 1:38 PM

BNR: from the beginning to now

On 25 January 2025, the Bulgarian National Radio will celebrate its 90th anniversary . The public broadcaster is organising a series of events to mark the occasion. A special programme today presents a multimedia project - a virtual exhibition,..

published on 1/22/25 7:40 AM

"Marine" - Bulgarian art on display in Tsaribrod

"Hello, my name is Marin Marinov, I am an artist and I am currently an assistant professor of fine art painting under Professor Kiril Bozhkov at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia. This is the starting point of a kaleidoscopic story that will take us,..

published on 1/17/25 12:44 PM