Sibel Kekilli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sibel Kekilli
Kekilli at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival
Born	(1980-06-16) 16 June 1980 (age 45) Heilbronn, West Germany
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2001–present

Sibel Kekilli (born on June 16, 1980) is a German actress. She became well-known after starring in the 2004 film Head-On. She won two Lolas, which are important German film awards. She received these awards for her roles in Head-On and When We Leave (2010). From 2011 onwards, she became even more famous for playing the character Shae in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early Life and Education

Sibel Kekilli was born and grew up in Heilbronn, Germany. Her family came from Turkey in 1977. Her parents were described as having modern and open views.

After finishing school with great grades at age 16, she joined a special training program. This program lasted 30 months. She learned to become a certified public administration specialist. She worked at the local city office.

After her training, she worked as an administrative assistant for two more years. This was at Heilbronn city hall. Later, she moved to Essen and worked in different jobs.

Acting Career Highlights

Kekilli at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival

In 2002, a casting director saw Sibel Kekilli at a shopping mall in Cologne. She was invited to try out for a movie role. She won the main part in Head-On (German: Gegen die Wand). She was chosen over 350 other people.

The film was released in 2004 and was very successful. It won many awards at film festivals. Filming was challenging for Kekilli. She even had an appendectomy while filming in Turkey.

After Head-On was released, a German newspaper shared information about her past work. This caused a lot of public discussion. Kekilli received the 2004 Bambi award for "best shooting star" for her role in Head-On.

Notable Film Roles

Kekilli starred in the Turkish film Home Coming (Eve Dönüş) in 2006. She played the wife of a man who was unfairly imprisoned. Her performance earned her the Best Actress award at the 2006 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

In 2006, she also appeared in The Last Train (German: Der letzte Zug). In this film, she played a Jewish woman traveling to a concentration camp. In 2009, she played Umay in When We Leave (Die Fremde). Umay is a young Turkish woman who returns to her family in Berlin. Kekilli won the Lola for Best Actress in 2010 for this role.

Television Success

In 2010, Sibel Kekilli was cast as Shae in HBO's Game of Thrones. This show is based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels.

In 2011, she joined the long-running crime series Tatort. She became a regular cast member as a new investigator named Sarah Brandt. She worked alongside chief investigator Klaus Borowski. She was happy to play a character who was not of foreign descent. She felt she had been given similar roles in the past. In 2017, she left Tatort after 14 episodes, wanting a change.

Personal Life and Activism

Sibel Kekilli lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Because German citizenship is mainly based on family background, she originally had Turkish citizenship. She had to apply to the Turkish government for a marriage license for a planned marriage that did not happen.

In 2017, Kekilli made her Instagram account private for users in Turkey. She explained that people from that country had sent her many unkind and threatening messages. She called the senders "bigoted, hypocrites and full of hate."

Supporting Women's Rights

Kekilli actively supports the organization Terre des Femmes. This group works to stop violence against women.

In December 2006, she spoke at an event in Berlin about stopping violence in homes. She said that she had seen how physical and emotional abuse can be seen as normal in some families. She also mentioned that violence is sadly part of the cultural heritage in Islam. The Turkish consul general left the room after her speech.

In March 2015, Kekilli gave a speech at an International Women's Day event. This event was held at the President of Germany's home, Schloss Bellevue. She spoke about violence against women done in the name of honor. Her speech received a lot of attention and praise in Germany. In May 2015, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation named Kekilli "Author of Freedom" for her powerful speech.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Recognition

• 2004 Lola for Best Actress in Head-On
• 2004 Bambi for Best "Shooting Star" in Head-On
• 2006 Golden Orange Prize for Best Actress in Home Coming
• 2010 Lola for Best Actress in When We Leave
• 2010 Tribeca Prize for Best Actress in When We Leave

See also

In Spanish: Sibel Kekilli para niños