Christo Jivkov, 'Passion of the Christ' Star, Dead at 48

Christo Jivkov, a Bulgarian actor who starred in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 48. Jivkov played John the Apostle in the film.

The actor was born on Feb. 18, 1975, in Sofia, Bulgaria, reports Deadline. He graduated from the Bulgarian Film & Theater Academy, majoring in film acting. Shortly after graduating, he scored his breakthrough role in Ermanno Olmi's The Profession of Arms (2001), which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The movie earned nine wins at the 2002 David di Donatello Awards, including Best Film. Jivkov played Giovanni de Medici in the historical drama.

Jivkov's performance in The Profession of Arms helped him earn more roles in the Italian film industry. In 2004, he was cast in The Passion of the Christ as John. It was his only Hollywood project. Gibson's film covered the last hours of Jesus Christ's life, as well as other important events through flashbacks. The independent movie cost just $30 million to make, but grossed over $612.1 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing R-rated films in history. The movie also scored three Oscar nominations.

Gibson and others involved in The Passion of the Christ have been talking about making a sequel for years. Writer Randall Wallace, who worked on Braveheart with Gibson, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016 that he was writing a movie that would focus on Jesus' resurrection. In January 2023, rumors that Gibson was just "months" away from starting filming, with Jim Caviezel back to play Jesus Christ, surfaced. However, there have been no updates on the project since then.

There was also speculation that Jivkov would return as John in a potential sequel. Jivkov made his final appearances in 2019 when he starred in the movies Lucania, De sable et de feu, and I segreti del mestiere, according to his IMDb page. Jivkov also produced a handful of films and was an assistant director on three movies between 2001 and 2002.