Birce Akalay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Birce Akalay
Akalay posing for an interview with Cumhuriyet during the promotion of Keşanlı Ali Destanı in 2020 (photo by Vedat Arık)
Born	(1984-06-19) 19 June 1984 (age 41) Istanbul, Turkey
Education	Haliç University Conservatory
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Murat Ünalmış ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2012)​ Sarp Levendoğlu ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2017)​

Birce Akalay (born on June 19, 1984) is a talented Turkish actress. She has appeared in more than 20 movies and TV shows, becoming very popular for her acting. Birce also worked as a sports presenter on Turkish national television for about five years. She hosted many programs, becoming well-known in sports and TV. Some of her famous works include the TV series Yer Gök Aşk and the play 7 Kocalı Hürmüz. In 2017, she starred as Dr. Aslı Çınar in the hit series Siyah Beyaz Aşk with actor İbrahim Çelikkol. This show became famous in Europe and the Americas. In 2020, she played Zilha in the well-known play Keşanlı Ali Destanı. She also continued her TV career in the Star TV series Babil, which started in January 2020. In 2022, she worked with İbrahim Çelikkol again in the Netflix series Kuş Uçuşu.

Birce Akalay's Life and Career

Early Life and Education

Birce Akalay was born in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 19, 1984. She started learning ballet when she was just four years old. At sixteen, she had an injury. In 2003, she finished high school at Pera Fine Arts High School, where she studied theatre.

She then began studying theatre at Istanbul University. However, she left in her third year to follow her dream of becoming a theatre actress. Since she was over twenty, she couldn't join a state conservatory. Instead, she earned a spot at Haliç University Conservatory for theatre studies and completed her education there. As of 2020, she teaches acting classes at Haliç University's theatre department.

Early Career and Beauty Pageants

In 2004, Birce competed in the Miss Turkey beauty pageant and placed third. After that, she represented Turkey in the Miss Europe competition. Her cousin, Barış Murat Yağcı, is also an actor.

First Steps in Acting

Birce Akalay started her TV acting career in 2007 with a supporting role in the popular series Asi. In the same year, she had her first movie role in Son Ders: Aşk ve Üniversite. She got her first main role on TV in the series Kader, playing a character named Lamia. She then starred in Senin Uğruna in the same year.

Rising to Fame

After playing supporting roles in Alayına İsyan and Kış Masalı in 2009, Birce became widely known. Her big breakthrough came in 2010 with her role as Havva in the series Yer Gök Aşk. This show was very popular with both critics and fans.

In 2013, she played Ayhan Aydan in the historical series Ben Onu Çok Sevdim. This series was about the life of former Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes.

Continued Success in TV and Netflix

Birce continued her TV career with roles in the family series Küçük Ağa (2014–2015). In this show, she acted alongside Sarp Levendoğlu, who later became her husband. She also starred in the romantic comedy Evli ve Öfkeli (2015–2016) and the youth series Hayat Bazen Tatlıdır (2016–2017).

In 2017, she played Aslı Çınar alongside actor Ibrahim Çelikkol in Siyah Beyaz Aşk. This series was a huge success, and the two actors gained many fans in Turkey and other countries.

After starring in the TV series Ağlama Anne in late 2018, she took a break from acting for about a year. During this time, she started teaching at Haliç University's Theater Department. She also became a chief judge on the music program Benimle Söyle. In January 2020, she began playing İlay in Star TV's series Babil. Birce Akalay also continued her stage career, appearing as Zilha in the play Keşanlı Ali Destanı in 2020.

In 2022, Birce Akalay starred in two Netflix series. She played Önem in Mezarlik and Lale Kıran in Kuş Uçuşu. In Kuş Uçuşu, she worked again with her former co-star Ibrahim Çelikkol. These Netflix shows were her first major projects for a global audience, and they helped her become even more famous worldwide. Kuş Uçuşu has already aired its second and third seasons.

Birce Akalay's Works

Movies

Web Series

TV Series

TV Programs

Theatre Performances

Awards and Nominations