Meryem Sarah Uzerli (; born on 12 August 1983) is a Turkish-German actress who rose to prominence by playing
Hürrem Sultan
Hurrem Sultan (, ota, خُرّم سلطان, translit=Ḫurrem Sulṭān, tr, Hürrem Sultan, label= Modern Turkish; 1500 – 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana ( uk, Роксолана}; ), was the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottom ...
in the Turkish TV series ''
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and hi ...
'' (2011–2013), for which she received critical acclaim and won numerous accolades, including a
Golden Butterfly Award.
Her prominent movie roles include Ayşe in Kovan, a story about bee keeping.
Early life
Uzerli was born on 12 August 1983 and raised in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2 ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
to Hüseyin, from Turkey and Ursula, an actress from Germany. She has two older brothers and an older sister, Canan, who is a jazz musician. Her great-grandmother is from Croatia. Due to her father's nationality, she has both Turkish-German citizenship. She made her acting debut with minor parts in German productions. She later made minor appearances in the television series ''
Notruf Hafenkante
''Notruf Hafenkante'' is a German television series broadcast on ZDF. It is set in Hamburg and is about the members of the police department PK 21 and the doctors of the fictional hospital Elbkrankenhaus. The show's premise is modelled on th ...
'' (2010) and ''
Ein Fall für zwei
''Ein Fall für zwei'' (''"A case for two"'') is a German television series, which premiered on 11 September 1981 on ZDF. The series, set in Frankfurt am Main, features two main characters who solve crimes: a defense attorney and a private inve ...
'' (2010). Uzerli is also known for her roles in German films like ''Journey of No Return'' (2010) and ''Jetzt aber Ballett'' (2010). At the end of 2010, she was chosen by
Meral Okay
Meral Okay (, née Katı; September 20, 1959 – April 9, 2012) was a Turkish actress, film producer and screenwriter.
Early life
Okay was born on September 20, 1959 in Ankara to military judge Ata Katı and Türkan as the second child. During ...
for her first leading role in the Turkish TV series ''
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and hi ...
'' (2011–2013). In addition to her acting career, Uzerli has appeared in many advertising films and is the face of numerous brands. In 2012, she was chosen as the Woman of the Year by ''
GQ Turkey''. Due to her role as Hurrem Sultan, she has won 23 awards and became one of the most famous actresses in Turkey.
Uzerli's native language is German. She is also fluent in Turkish and English.
Career
2011–13: ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl''
Uzerli's most known breakout role is as
Hürrem Sultan
Hurrem Sultan (, ota, خُرّم سلطان, translit=Ḫurrem Sulṭān, tr, Hürrem Sultan, label= Modern Turkish; 1500 – 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana ( uk, Роксолана}; ), was the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottom ...
in the historical television drama series ''
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and hi ...
'', directed by
the Taylan Brothers. In 2010, after an eight-month search to find the best actress for this role, she was chosen by
Meral Okay
Meral Okay (, née Katı; September 20, 1959 – April 9, 2012) was a Turkish actress, film producer and screenwriter.
Early life
Okay was born on September 20, 1959 in Ankara to military judge Ata Katı and Türkan as the second child. During ...
, the series' screenwriter, and Timur Savcı, the series' producer.
About her selection, she said: "Until one day the phone rang, I was invited for a casting in Turkey, and then immediately I started living in Istanbul almost full time."
She lived in a hotel for two years during the shooting of ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl''. She shared the leading role with
Halit Ergenç
Halit Ergenç (; born 30 April 1970) is a Turkish actor known for his role as Sultan Suleiman I in '' Muhteşem Yüzyıl,'' Onur Aksal in '' Binbir Gece'' and Cevdet in ''Vatanim Sensin''.
Biography
Halit Ergenç was born as the son of Yeş ...
,
Okan Yalabık
Okan Yalabık (born 13 December 1978) is a Turkish actor. He graduated theater at Istanbul University State Conservatory and master of Film and Drama in Kadir Has University. He has appeared in more than twenty films since 2001.
Life and care ...
and
Nebahat Çehre
Hilal Nebahat Çehre (; born 15 March 1945), is a Turkish actress, model, and singer who was crowned Miss Turkey 1960. She is best known for her protagonist roles as Firdevs Yöreoğlu on the Kanal D drama series '' Aşk-ı Memnu'' (2008–10) ...
. She won the Golden Butterfly Award for Best Actress for this part in 2012. In 2013, she left the series due to health concerns, reportedly a
burnout.
From episode 103 and onwards,
Vahide Perçin
Vahide Perçin (born 13 June 1965) is a Turkish actress and television personality. She was credited for a number of years by her married name Vahide Gördüm, but after divorcing, she went back to her birth name.
Early life
Perçin was born on ...
was cast in to play an older version of Hürrem.
2014–present: ''Gecenin Kraliçesi'' and ''Annemin Yarası''
At the end of 2014, Uzerli signed a contract with O3, the Turkish production company of
MBC Group
MBC Group ( ar, مجموعة إم بي سي), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Middle East and North Africa region. Launched in London in 1991, the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 then moved to Riyadh in 2022.
MBC ...
.
As of December 2014, she was still living in Berlin, but planning to move to Istanbul.
In December 2014,
Star TV Star TV may refer to:
* E! (Canadian TV channel) (formerly Star!), a Canadian entertainment news channel
* Las Estrellas (Spanish for The Stars), the Mexican television network
* Estrella TV (Spanish for Star TV), the American Spanish-language ne ...
released a video and a photo of Uzerli introducing her as one of its stars in 2015. In October 2015, she was again introduced among the TV's stars for 2016. About her future, she says: "I am trying to build on my international success within any industry where actors are respected as artists, and where I can find great scripts that allow me to delve into a story that leaves the here and now behind."
In March 2015, it was finalized that Uzerli would share the leading role with
Murat Yıldırım in her new TV series. The series' name was later announced as ''Gecenin Kraliçesi''.
It is directed by ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' directors,
the Taylan Brothers. Some of the scenes for this series were filmed in
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...
, France.
The shooting later continued in
Rize
Rize (Greek: ρίζα, Laz: რიზინი, Georgian: რიზე,
, Ottoman Turkish: ريزه)
is the capital city of Rize Province in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey.
Rize is a typically Turkish provincial capital with ...
, Turkey.
It premiered on
Star TV Star TV may refer to:
* E! (Canadian TV channel) (formerly Star!), a Canadian entertainment news channel
* Las Estrellas (Spanish for The Stars), the Mexican television network
* Estrella TV (Spanish for Star TV), the American Spanish-language ne ...
in January 2016.
In addition to her career in television, Uzerli also appeared in a cinema movie in 2016, titled ''
Annemin Yarası
''Annemin Yarası'' ( en, My Mother's Wound) is a 2016 Turkish dramatic film. Set in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it tells the story of Salih, a Bosniak teenager seeking revenge against the man who raped his mother during the Bosnian War. ''Annemin Yar ...
''.
The film was released in March 2016.
Her co-stars include
Ozan Güven
Ozan Muharrem Güven (born 19 May 1975) is a Turkish film, TV series and theatre actor. he is best known for playing the role of Rüstem Pasha in the historical television series ''Muhteşem Yüzyıl''.
Biography
His family is of Turkish origin ...
,
Okan Yalabık
Okan Yalabık (born 13 December 1978) is a Turkish actor. He graduated theater at Istanbul University State Conservatory and master of Film and Drama in Kadir Has University. He has appeared in more than twenty films since 2001.
Life and care ...
, and
Belçim Bilgin
Belçim Bilgin (born 31 January 1983) is a Turkish actress of Kurdish origin.
Life
She was born in Ankara, Turkey on 31 January 1983. She is the great grand niece of Sheikh Said who is known for the Sheikh Said Rebellion. According to her sta ...
. Between 2016 and 2017, she appeared in a guest role on ''Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz''. In 2017, she continued her movie career by appearing in ''Cingöz Recai'' opposite
Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, although the film was not a box office success. Later in the same year, she shared the leading role with
Özcan Deniz and
Aslı Enver
Aslı Enver Gökbudak (born 10 May 1984) is a Turkish actress. She is best known for her roles in several TV series including as Mine in ''Kavak Yelleri'', as Ahu Kumral in ''Suskunlar'' and as Süreyya in ''İstanbullu Gelin''. She is also know ...
in the movie ''Öteki Taraf''. In 2019, Uzerli auditioned for a role in the third season of the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
original series ''
Dark
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low l ...
''. She also appeared as the lead role in the movie ''Kovan'', the proceeds of which were donated to
Haluk Levent
Haluk Levent (born Haluk Acil; 26 November 1968) is a Turkish rock music singer who helped revive the long forgotten Anatolian rock
Anatolian rock ( tr, Anadolu rock), or known as Turkish psychedelic rock, is a fusion of Turkish folk music ...
's AHBAP foundation.
Personal life
After leaving Turkey, Uzerli announced that she had broken up with her boyfriend, Can Ateş, after learning that he had cheated on her. She said that she was pregnant and wanted to give birth to her child. On 10 February 2014, she gave birth to a girl. A second daughter was born on 8 January 2021.
Uzerli is also a model and has appeared on the cover of ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the ...
'', ''
Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on w ...
'', and ''
InStyle
''InStyle'' was an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith. In February 2022, it was announced that InStyle would cease print publications and move to a digital-only f ...
'' magazines in Turkey, in addition to playing in advertisements for brands such as
Elidor
''Elidor'' is a children's fantasy novel by the British author Alan Garner, published by Collins in 1965. Set primarily in modern Manchester, it features four English children who enter a fantasy world, fulfill a quest there, and return to fi ...
.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
Meryem Uzerli: The Magnificent Hürrem Sultan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzerli, Meryem
1983 births
Living people
Actors from Kassel
Turkish film actresses
Turkish television actresses
21st-century Turkish actresses
German film actresses
German television actresses
21st-century German actresses
Golden Butterfly Award winners
Turkish people of Croatian descent
Turkish people of German descent
German people of Turkish descent
German people of Croatian descent