Born in Turkey

1. Elia Kazan

Director | On the Waterfront

Known for his creative stage direction, Elia Kazan was born Elias Kazantzoglou on September 7, 1909 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire (now Istanbul, Turkey). Noted for drawing out the best dramatic performances from his actors, he directed 21 actors to Oscar nominations, resulting in nine wins. He ...

2. Tchéky Karyo

Actor | Nikita

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Tcheky Karyo grew up in Paris. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, where he played numerous classical roles. He next joined the National Theatre of Strasbourg, where he starred in contemporary theatre as well as in such ...

3. Henri Verneuil

Director | I... comme Icare

Henri Verneuil was born on October 15, 1920 in Rodosto, Ottoman Empire [now Tekirdag, Turkey]. He was a director and writer, known for I... For Icarus (1979), The Sheep Has Five Legs (1954) and Mother (1991). He was married to Françoise Bonnot and Véronique Sedro. He died on January 11, 2002 in ...

4. Aristotle Onassis

Aristole Onassis was an ethnic Greek born in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire in what is now Turkey, who became a billionaire shipping tycoon when the number of billionaires could be counted on one hand. He is known to history as the second husband of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.

He was the son of ...

5. Ahmet Ertegun

Soundtrack | Angel Heart

Ahmet Ertegun was born on July 31, 1923 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a producer and composer, known for Angel Heart (1987), My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) and Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). He was married to Ioana (Mica) Maria Banu Grecianu and Jan Holm. He died on December 14, 2006 in New ...

6. Yilmaz Erdogan

Actor | The Water Diviner

He spent his childhood in Ankara until he moved to Istanbul along with his family. His family is of Kurdish origin. In 1987, he dropped out of his civil engineering studies at Istanbul Technical University and joined the On Duty Theater Staff (Turkish: Nöbetçi Tiyatrosu) managed by Ferhan Sensoy. ...

7. Kivanç Tatlitug

Actor | Kelebegin Rüyasi

Kivanc Tatlitug was born on October 27, 1983 in Adana, Turkey.

Graduated from Istanbul Kultur University Communication Designs-Multimedia and Cinema. His mother is from Edirne, Turkey. His paternal grandmother is Bosnian immigrant from Sarajevo. His paternal grandfather is Albanian immigrant from ...

8. Halit Ergenç

Actor | Vatanim Sensin

Halit Ergenç (born 30 April 1970) is a Turkish actor.

Halit Ergenç was born as the son of Yesilçam-era actor Sait Ergenç on 30 April 1970 in Istanbul. He completed his secondary education at Besiktas Atatürk High School in 1989 and entered Istanbul Technical University to study Marine Engineering. ...

9. Arif Mardin

Soundtrack | Beaches

Arif Mardin was born on March 15, 1932 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a producer and composer, known for Beaches (1988), Labyrinth (1986) and Coming to America (1988). He was married to Latife. He died on June 25, 2006 in New York City, New York, USA.

10. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Producer | Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da

Nuri Bilge Ceylan was born in Istanbul on January 26th, 1959. In 1976, he began studying chemical engineering at Istanbul Technical University, in a context of strong student unrest, boycotts and political polarization. In 1978, he switched courses to Electrical Engineering at Bogazici University. ...

11. Ferzan Özpetek

Director | La finestra di fronte

He is a Turkish-Italian director, screenwriter and writer. In 1976, he first went to Perugia Foreigners University in Italy, learned Italian for a year, and then transferred to Rome La Sapienza University to study cinema. After completing his education there, he went to Accademia Navona and ...

12. Cem Yilmaz

Actor | G.O.R.A.

While studying at the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management of Bogazici University, he started drawing comics for the Turkish humor magazine Leman. In August 1995 he did his first stand-up comedy show in "Leman Culture Center" performing with no serious career intentions as a comedian. However...

13. Semih Kaplanoglu

Producer | Yumurta

Semih Kaplanoglu is one of the most acclaimed writer-director-producers of contemporary filmmaking. Born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, he received BS in Cinema-Television from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dokuz Eylul University, in 1984. Kaplanoglu made his debut feature in 2001 'Away From Home', and ...

14. Magali Noël

Actress | Amarcord

Magali Noël was born on June 27, 1931 in Izmir, Turkey. She was an actress, known for Amarcord (1973), Rififi (1955) and Z (1969). She was married to Jean-Pierre Bernard. She died on June 23, 2015 in Châteauneuf-Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

15. Darío Moreno

Actor | Le salaire de la peur

Darío Moreno was born on April 3, 1921 in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire [now Izmir, Turkey]. He was an actor, known for The Wages of Fear (1953), Kill Me Gently (1967) and Le Bal (1983). He died on December 1, 1968 in Istanbul, Turkey.

16. Tuba Büyüküstün

Actress | Kara Para Ask

Born on July 5 in Istanbul, Tuba majored in Costume & Design at the Mimar Sinan University of the Fine Arts from where she graduated in the year of 2004. This year also brought along her first acting gig as she starred in the successful TV show, 'Cemberimde Gül Oya', portraying the character of '...

17. Cenk Uygur

Producer | The Young Turks

Cenk Uygur was born on March 21, 1970 in Istanbul, Turkey. He is a producer and writer, known for The Young Turks (2005), TYT Sports (2010) and TYT University (2011). He has been married to Wendy Lang since 2008. They have two children.

18. Erol Sander

Actor | Alexander

He was raised in the Muslim faith. At the age of four, he moved to Munich with his mother and sister in 1973. He last spent his school years at a boarding school on Lake Chiemsee. He then studied political science and economics. In 1992 he traveled to Paris, where he began a career as a model. ...

19. Ozman Sirgood

Actor | Dirilis: Ertugrul

Ozman Sirgood is a Turkish-American actor who is loved and watched in more than 65 countries across Eastern and Central Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and South America. His iconic role as "Ibni Arabi" in the hit series "Resurrection: Ertugrul has won him a dedicated international fan base ...

20. Serhat Mustafa Kiliç

Actor | Kis Uykusu

He won a scholarship for the Theatre department of Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts in 1994. In 1998 he graduated from this school as a high honor student. His first professional acting experience was in 1998, in Ariel Doffman's play "Widows" directed by Rutkay Aziz in Ankara...

21. Kevork Malikyan

Actor | Flight of the Phoenix

Kevork is a British actor of Armenian descent, born in Diyarbakir. He spent seven years training for priesthood at the Holy Cross Seminary, in Istanbul. He received his acting,and,teaching qualifications from Rose Bruford College,(1964-67). His first major film was Midnight Express, followed by, ...

22. Sermiyan Midyat

Actor | Ay Lav Yu

Sermiyan Midyat was born on December 2, 1974 in Ankara, Turkey. He is an actor and writer, known for Ay Lav Yu (2010), Bir Baba Hindu (2016) and Anali Ogullu (2014).

23. Bergüzar Korel

Actress | Vatanim Sensin

Berguzar Korel, born in 1982 in Istanbul, graduated from the Theatre Department of Mimar Sinan State Conservatory. She acted in many plays and short films during her school life including the play Kuvayi Milliye at State Theatre. She went on to act in high profile projects, namely "1001 Nights", "...

24. Gürgen Öz

Actor | Hokkabaz

Gürgen Öz was born on May 10, 1978 in Zonguldak, Turkey. He is an actor, known for The Magician (2006), Romantik Komedi (2010) and The Other Path (2020).

25. Pinar Toprak

Composer | Captain Marvel

Pinar Toprak is a Turkish-American Emmy-nominated composer, conductor and performer, who specializes in creating thematic scores for everything from superhero sagas and blockbuster comedies to TV series and dramas. With her work on Captain Marvel and Fortnite, Pinar is the first female composer to ...

26. Kerem Bürsin

Actor | Bu Sehir Arkandan Gelecek

Kerem Bursin was born on June 4th, 1987, in Istanbul, Turkey. Bursin spent his childhood on the move and was raised internationally living in 7 different countries. After years of living an expat life him and his family settled in Sugar Land, Texas. While in high school in Texas, he developed an ...

27. Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Director | Mustang

In 2011 Ergüven was invited to attend the Cannes Film Festivals Atelier to help develop her project, The Kings. While there she met fellow director Alice Winocour who was there to develop her first feature film Augustine. After Ergüven was unable to find financing for her film Winocour suggested ...

28. Joe Strummer

Soundtrack | Grosse Pointe Blank

Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had ...

29. Numan Acar

Actor | Homeland

Numan Acar is passionate actor and storyteller. He was born in Kozoglu, Kelkit District, and grow up in Erzincan in Turkey. He emigrated to Germany where he become a civil engineer. After completion of his studies he started an acting career. Numan had his international breakthrough as "Haissam ...

30. Engin Altan Düzyatan

Actor | Dirilis: Ertugrul

Engin Altan Duzyatan was born on 26 July 1979 in Izmir. His great-grandparents are Turkish immigrants from Yugoslavia and Albanian immigrants from Pristina. He graduated from 9 Eylul University, Performing Arts - Acting Department. After his graduation, he started his acting career in Istanbul in ...

31. Ilker Kaleli

Actor | Poyraz Karayel

His mother is half German and half Turkish and his father is a Turkish citizen, of Kurdish descent, from Van. Ilker is born in Istanbul in 1984.

Following his graduation from University (BA in Arts Management) and training in Acting he has moved to London for a 3 Year Classical Acting Training in ...

32. Burcu Biricik

Actress | Hayat Sarkisi

Burcu Biricik after having participated at a theatre festival and won an award, she decided to be a professional actress. She had her Bachelor's degree in Archaelogy in Ege University while she was attending Bornova Municipality National Theatre Acting School. She was an intern in Bornova ...

33. Can Yaman

Actor | Erkenci Kus

Can Yaman was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. Can's father Güven and mother Güldem divorced when he was five years old. From an early age, his grandmothers were actively involved in his upbringing and care due to his parents' financial difficulties, which were also the reason why his education...

34. Haluk Bilginer

Actor | Kis Uykusu

Haluk Bilginer is a Turkish actor. In addition to his acting career in Turkey, he has also worked in the United Kingdom and remains known for his role as Mehmet Osman in the television soap opera EastEnders (1985) during the 1980s. He has also starred in Hollywood movies as a minor actor. He played...

35. Cansu Dere

Actress | Sahsiyet

Cansu Dere born on October 14, 1980 in Ankara is a Turkish film and television actress, model, and beauty pageant runner-up. After graduation from the department of Archaeology at Istanbul University, she made her debut in TV and movies in the beginning of 2004. Between 2006-2008 she had a leading ...

36. Hande Erçel

Actress | Sen Çal Kapimi

Hande Erçel is a distinguished actress known for her roles in 'The Daughters of the Sun' (2015), 'Hayat: Love Without Words' (2016), 'Halka' (2019), Love Is in the Air (2020) and 'Another Love' (2023).

Raised in Turkey, Hande pursued her education at the 'Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.' ...