Mariana Stansheva

Production · Acting

Mariana Stansheva is a Bulgarian actress, producer, director, and casting director who studied at NATFA in Sofia. She has been active since 1989 and is married to John Cappilla (since 2004). Her most notable acting credits include Zoey in Assassin's Bullet (2012, with Dolph Lundgren), Olga in Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009), and Mrs. Wisniewski in A Christmas Story Christmas (2022, with Tate Donovan). As a casting director she has worked on Memory (2022, with Julia Roberts), The Toxic Avenger (2023), Criminal (2016, with Kevin Costner), London Has Fallen (2016), and The Expendables 2 (2012).

Filmography

• 2026The Internship — Cleaning Woman
• 2025The Toxic Avenger Unrated — Casting
• 2025The World Will Tremble — Casting
• 2023A Very Venice Romance — Casting
• 2023The Piper — Casting
• 2022A Christmas Story Christmas — Mrs. Wisniewski
• 2022Memory — Casting
• 2022The Offering — Casting
• 2020Ghosts of War — Local Casting
• 2019Paris, Wine & Romance — Michelle Auclair
• 2019Picture Perfect Royal Christmas — Casting
• 2018Hunter Killer — Casting
• 2018The Angel — Casting
• 2018The Hurricane Heist — Casting
• Absentia — Dr. Fletcher
• 2017Day of the Dead: Bloodline — Casting
• 2017Security — Casting
• 2017The Hitman's Bodyguard — Casting
• 2016Boyka: Undisputed IV — Casting
• 2016London Has Fallen — Casting
• 2016Mechanic: Resurrection — Casting
• 2016The Late Bloomer — Casting
• 2015Christmas Eve — Casting
• 2015Septembers of Shiraz — Casting
• 2014Automata — Casting
• 2014Firequake — Olivia
• 2014Stonehearst Asylum — Casting
• 2014The Expendables 3 — Casting
• 2014The Legend of Hercules — Casting
• 2013Code Red — Casting
• 2013Enemies Closer — Casting
• 2013Getaway — Casting
• 2013Invasion Roswell — Katherine
• 2012Assassin's Bullet — Casting
• 2012El Gringo — Casting
• 2012The Expendables 2 — Casting
• 2011General della Rovere — Contessa Della Rovere
• 2010Prowl — Casting Director
• 2010The Way Back — Casting
• 2010Universal Soldier: Regeneration — Olga, Casting, Local Casting
• 2009Command Performance — Casting
• 2009Direct Contact — Screaming Woman
• 2009Double Identity — Casting
• 2009Night Train — Woman (as Mariana Stanisheva)
• 2009Thick as Thieves — Madame Irina, Casting
• 2008Day of the Dead — Casting
• 2008Fuga per la libertà - L'aviatore — Signora Gori
• 2008The Shepherd: Border Patrol — Casting
• 2007Grendel — Casting
• 2007Reign of the Gargoyles — Casting
• 2007The Contractor — Casting
• 2007Trade Routes — Casting
• 2007Until Death — Rosalia, Casting
• 2007When Nietzsche Wept — Casting
• 2006Basilisk: The Serpent King — Casting
• 2006Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil — Additional Secretary
• 2006Dragon Dynasty — Local Casting
• 2006Wicked Little Things — Casting
• 2005Locusts: The 8th Plague — Gina
• 2005Manticore — Casting
• 2005Mosquito Man — Uniform Cop #2
• 2005Path of Destruction — Casting
• 2004Boa vs. Python — Agent Koznetova, Casting
• 2004Post Impact — Middle Aged Woman
• 2003Alien Hunter — Reporter
• 2003Dark Waters — Speaker
• 2003Maximum Velocity — Russian
• 2003Rats — Roberta
• 2001Octopus 2: River of Fear — Southern Woman
• 2001The Grey Zone — Girl's Mother
• 2000Octopus — Female Captain
• Kung Fury 2 — Casting