Sezgi Sena Akay (born 31 October 1994) is a Turkish actress, former professional volleyball player, presenter, and model who was crowned Best Model of the World 2012. She is the youngest and 42nd titleholder in the pageant's history and the fourth woman from Turkey to win Best Model of the World. She previously won Best Model of Turkey 2012. She began her modelling career in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. She started playing volleyball at a very young age. She played for

Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

for five years and later for Fenerbahçe S.K. Women's under-18 Volleyball Team for a year. In 2014, she played Nevin Karatay in the

Kanal D Kanal D, also known as Channel D, is a nationwide television channel in Turkey and part of Demirören Group. It was founded by Ayhan Şahenk and Aydın Doğan in 1993. The network also runs an international channel, Euro D which is available ...

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

and

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

series ''Zeytin Tepesi'' ( tr, Olive Hill). Her role Nevin Karatay was equivalent to that of Elena Monforte in the original Italian version ''Le tre rose di Eva'' ( it, The Three Roses of Eva). In 2015, she hosted the ''Magazin Postası'' programme on

FOX Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

. Between 2015 and 2016, she was cast as lead character in

SHOW TV Show TV is a nationwide television channel in Turkey owned by Albayrak Holding since 2018, acquired from Sadık Albayrak which in turn seized from Ciner Media Group after Turgay Ciner was forced to sell due to tax debts. The channel replaces C ...

drama series ''Acı Aşk'' (Turkish: Bitter Love), an adaptation of the

South Korean television series Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

'' Bad Love'' (2007–2008). Since January 2017, she portrays

Murad IV Murad IV ( ota, مراد رابع, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; tr, IV. Murad, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Con ...

's Imperial consort Sanavber in the second season of the

Historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

series '' Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem'' (Turkish: ''The Magnificent Century: Kösem'') broadcast on FOX.

Early life and education

Sezgi Sena Akay was born on 31 October 1994 in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, to Circassian parents. She has no siblings. After graduating from Erenköy Girls' High School, she enrolled in the Department of Public Relations and Publicity, Faculty of Communication, at

Yeditepe University Yeditepe University is a private foundation university situated in Istanbul, Turkey. Established by the Istanbul Education and Culture Foundation ( tr, İstanbul Eğitim ve Kültür Vakfı, İSTEK Vakfı) in 1996, Yeditepe University now claims t ...

Sports career

She started playing volleyball at a very young age. She played for

for five years and later for Fenerbahçe S.K. Women's under-18 Volleyball Team for a year.

Pageantry

Best Model of Turkey

Sezgi Sena Akay competed in the 25th Best Model of Turkey pageant and won the title "Best Model of Turkey 2012" on 15 December 2012. The event was held on the

Galatasaray Islet The Galatasaray Islet ( tr, Galatasaray Adası) is a small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighbourhood in Istanbul, Turkey, owned by Galatasaray SK, Galatasaray Sports Club. Being situated just north of the Bosphorus Bridge with ...

(Suada) in Istanbul. One of the lead judges of the competition, fashion designer Yıldırım Mayruk, stated that Sezgi Sena Akay is "the most beautiful and fresh model of the last twenty-five years".

Best Model of the World

She represented her nation, Turkey, at the Best Model of the World 2012 pageant, which was held on 10 December 2012, where she was crowned Best Model of the World 2012 and the Belgian representative became the first runner-up. This is the fourth time a Turkish woman has won the Best Model of the World crown. At the age of 17, she stood 5 feet 11.3 inches (1.81 m) tall and weighted 121 lbs (55 kg). She grew 1.2 inches (three centimetres) taller in two years and stands 6 feet 0.5 inches (1.84 m).

Acting career

Her debut role was in the 2014 television drama ''Zeytin Tepesi'' which was shot in

Ayvalık Ayvalık () is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey. It is a district of Balıkesir province. The town centre is connected to Cunda Island by a causeway and is surrounded by the archipelago of Ayvalık Islands, which face ...

Balıkesir Balıkesir () is a city in Turkey and is the capital city of Balıkesir Province. Balıkesir is located in the Marmara region of Turkey and has a population of 338,936. Between 1341–1922, it was the capital of Karasi. History Close to ...

. Her role Nevin Karatay was equivalent to that of Elena Monforte in the original Italian version ''Le tre rose di Eva'' ( it, The Three Roses of Eva). In 2015, she hosted the ''Magazin Postası'' programme on

. Between 2015 and 2016, she was cast as lead character Melek Yılmaz Köklükaya in

drama series ''Acı Aşk'' (Turkish: Bitter Love), an adaptation of the

'' Bad Love'' (2007–2008). She also played violin in the series. Since January 2017, she portrays

's Imperial consort Sanavber in the second season of the

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

series '' Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem'' (Turkish: ''The Magnificent Century: Kösem'') broadcast on FOX.

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akay, Sezgi Sena 1995 births 21st-century Turkish actresses Best Model of the World winners Best Model of Turkey winners Erenköy Girls High School alumni Fenerbahçe volleyballers Galatasaray S.K. (women's volleyball) players Living people Models from Istanbul Turkish beauty pageant winners Turkish female models Turkish people of Circassian descent Turkish television actresses Turkish television presenters Turkish women's volleyball players Yeditepe University alumni Turkish women television presenters Actresses from Istanbul Volleyball players from Istanbul