Ilia Yordanov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. His mother, Maria, was a concert pianist, and his father, Yordan, was also a musician, mathematician, and spent some time in the Bulgarian Navy. Yordan and Maria, having grown tired of communism in eastern Europe, sought asylum in Puerto Rico for 2 weeks before relocating to San Diego with Ilia and his 6 month old brother, Dimiter. After spending 2 years in San Diego, Ilia and his family moved to Seattle. He expressed interest in film and music early on. At age 10, he learned to play violin, followed by guitar, bass, and drums. Shortly after, he began playing shows and did some touring. While in Seattle, he studied Acting, Writing, and Directing for the camera with Tony Doupe at Shoreline College in Seattle, WA. In fall of 2006 Ilia started his band, Red Museum. Ilia moved back to California in 2008, this time to Los Angeles, to pursue acting. He has studied at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.