At that time Valdobrev gradually entered the world of film and theatre music and since 1992 has gone on to enjoy composing the original scores for more than 70 stage performances and 20 feature and documentary movies, winning many plaudits and awards for his work.

Although Valdobrev continued performing in theatre (Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, Muller's Hamletmachine, Anouilh's Eurydice), he gradually moved away from this area, and also from the music stage, to become more established as a film actor.

[4] After being away from the rock stage for almost a decade in 2012 Stefan Valdobrev decided to rejoin his old band "The Usual Suspects" and to start recording songs and performing live in concerts again.

His mother was descended from Macedonian refugees who settled in the Rhodope Mountains, and his paternal ancestors come from midst of the country, where the Thracian valley meets with the Central Balkan region.

I spent all my time there – playing with a ball, wandering with my friends, sneaking into the ballerinas' trailers, acting scenes from films I'd just watched, so I often forgot to go home until late at night.

For a Communist country behind the Iron Curtain which Bulgaria was at that time, this school was like a breath of fresh air – with a discipline not so strict and teachers being lenient and having a personal approach to each of the students.

These everyday concerts were the real productive education for him and later, when he was traveling over the Black Sea resorts and Germany as a street musician, he already had a set-list of 300 prepared and well-rehearsed world hit songs of any genre.

[9] In 1989 Valdobrev was accepted in Sofia University to study English philology,[10] but soon quit and attended the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts to become part of what was later called: "the most successful acting class of the two highly praised Bulgarian professors – Krikor Azaryan and Todor Kolev".

[11] Together with his fellow actors and directors Galin Stoev, Marius Kurkinski, Kamen Donev, Stefka Yanorova, Koyna Ruseva, Kasiel Noah Asher, Lilia Maraviglia they formed the core of a New Wave in Bulgarian theatre.

Such kick-start performances as Sam Shepard's Angel City, Georg Buchner's Leonce and Lena, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Goran Stefanovski's Black Hole, Chekhov Revue and others appeared between 1991 and 1993.

He spent there 10 years, taking part in many significant performances like Georg Buchner's Woyzeck, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Eric Bogosian's Suburbia and Jean Anouilh's Eurydice.

2004 was the year of his big movie break when he took on the lead in Burning Out, a love drama by director Stanimir Trifonov, set in the immediate post World War II period.

Valdobrev’s performance of the romantic Italian doctor Enrico Corsa, separated from his Bulgarian wife and sent to a Communist prison camp, from which he finally escapes, has been described as fine, deep and centered ,[14] and brought him the Best Actor award at the Golden Rose National film ceremony.

Valdobrev was cast as Mitko, an expert of campaigns in the team of his American colleague Tim Knight (Ross McCall) in the 2007 United States-Bulgarian political thriller Trade Routes.

In 2008 he collaborated with director and friend Stefan Komandarev in his highly acclaimed film The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner, performing the supporting character of the Bulgarian emigrant Stoyan.

In 2012 Valdobrev played the lead role in the road comedy drama Migration of the Belted Bonito - a film by the Bulgarian independent and critically acclaimed film-maker Lyudmil Todorov.

Valdobrev portrayed the poor and dreamy painter of Orthodox icons Simo, who, together with his close friend and neighbour, finds the most unorthodox way to make ends meet, with them both setting out on a comical journey from their modest village to the Black Sea shore.

[3] He then enjoyed a long period of productive years, composing the music for more than 70 theatre plays and 20 feature and documentary films, receiving many plaudits, awards and nominations.

Their collaboration resumed with the director’s 2009 hit The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner, based on the best-selling novel by the German author Ilija Trojanow and featuring Miki Manojlovic in the lead role.

Working in a wide field of genres, due to the requirements of the dramaturgy or the script, Valdobrev successfully switches from melancholy, delicate and deeply emotional compositions to Balkan gypsy and folk brass music, from classic orchestra scores to ethno-ambient tunes.

[20] Based mostly on his twelve years of classical piano and acoustic guitar lessons at school, Valdobrev followed the way to a collaboration and friendship with the most outstanding Bulgarian musicians, jazz and ethno bands, symphony orchestras and conductors.

For me there’s no difference if I play a character, compose music or write poetry for my songs, it’s all about telling stories, communication, sharing thoughts and emotions, about the ability to stretch and push the boundaries with visions of your own world".

Regarding his ambition in films and theatre he knew he couldn't afford himself to keep a regular band, so he decided to invite highly skilled and established rock and jazz musicians.

But there was an unexpected 'factor' that finally took the lead and cast its mighty shadow over the other songs: a musical joke which Valdobrev created together with friend and colleague Kamen Donev on their way back from a theatre tour in Vienna.

He focused on experimentation, guitar effects, tape looping, rhythm sequencing and sampling while developing his sixth studio album Propaganda, Chromosomes, Silicon.

[23] In 2006 he recorded the blue romantic song Fireworks, in 2009 the reggae-swing chart-topper The Riverbank Most Green, introducing the young future soul star Ruth Koleva.

During that period Valdobrev briefly resumed touring for a series of sold-out concerts, presenting mainly his theatre and film music and working with an orchestra of fifteen jazz, ethno and classical musicians.

The journey started in Svishtov, a small town on the bank of the Danube river, told the story of the protagonist’s struggle with the authorities, lead all the way to Old Trafford Stadium, where he met his idol, the Manchester United top-striker Dimitar Berbatov, and ended up back home, raising questions about identity, about who we are and who we want to be".

[29] Initially launched by Stanimir Trifonov and Vreme Film Studio, the project went through some difficulties, before being successfully finalized by producer Dragomir Keranov with the support of Desislav Dionisiev and Alexander Vrabevski.

Valdobrev became part of the strong student movement raised to power in the next few years of mass demonstrations, street riots, barricade protests and sieges of parliament.