He graduated in acting from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia.
His debut in cinema was a minor role in Boris I in 1985. in 1988, Staykov became famous in Bulgaria with "Vchera" (Bulgarian: Вчера, English: Yesterday), where he portrayed Rostislav, a student in an elite high school in Communist Bulgaria, who rebels against the hollowness of the system and the absurd rules.
"[1] Staykov portrays Alexander Zalachenko, a former Soviet spy, in the 2009 film adaptations of the best-selling "Millennium Trilogy" novels.
'"[2] He reprised the role of Zalachenko in the six-part Millennium television series that was broadcast on Swedish TV in 2010.
He returned to Bulgarian cinema and acted in the comedy Mission London and the drama Tilt.