Haluk Bilginer is a distinguished Turkish theater and film actor, widely recognized for his powerful stage presence, intellectual depth, and versatility across theater, cinema, television, and voice acting. A recipient of numerous national and international theater and film awards, he is regarded as one of the most accomplished performers of his generation.

Haluk Bilginer was born as Nihat Haluk Bilginer on June 5, 1954, in İzmir, Turkey, as the second child of a family with three children. His mother, Bedriye Hanım, was a homemaker, and his father, Tahsin Bilginer, was an insurance agent from İzmir. During his final year of high school, he joined his school’s theater club and won his first award in an interscholastic theater competition organized by the Democrat İzmir Newspaper. Upon the invitation of theater director Ragıp Haykır, he worked as a guest actor at the İzmir State Theatre.

After completing high school, he enrolled in the Ankara State Conservatory, Department of Theater, in 1972 and graduated in 1977. The same year, he moved to England, where he pursued advanced theater training for one year at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Between 1980 and 1993, Haluk Bilginer lived in the United Kingdom and also obtained British citizenship. During this period, he appeared in numerous theater productions, musicals, television series, and films. He gained widespread recognition through his role as Cypriot Mehmet Osman in the television series EastEnders, in which he appeared in 250 episodes. His stage work included productions such as Macbeth, My Fair Lady, Pal Joey, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and The Phantom of the Opera. His television appearances included EastEnders, Memories of Midnight, Bergerac, The Glory Boys, The Bill, and Murder of a Moderate Man, while his film roles included Children’s Crusade, Half Moon Street, Ishtar, Buffalo Soldiers, Spooks, and She’s Gone. After this extensive international career, he returned to Turkey.

In 1987, he came to Istanbul for the first time for the filming of The Other Side of the Night, where he met his former schoolmate Zuhal Olcay, whom he would marry in 1992. For a period, he lived between Istanbul and London. After their marriage, the couple appeared together in the Hollywood television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and in Turkey in Two Women, directed by Yavuz Özkan. His visibility increased further through various television programs.

In 1990, Haluk Bilginer became one of the founding members of Theatre Studio, alongside İsmet Levendoğlu and Zuhal Olcay. He starred in leading roles in stage productions such as Betrayal, Blood Brothers, Popcorn, Garbage, Hysteria, and The Balcony. In an effort to establish a permanent theater venue, he rented the Odeon Cinema and began renovations, but a fire in 1996 destroyed the building and all his efforts.

He became widely known in Turkey through the television series The Other Side of the Night. In 1996, he appeared in 80th Step, directed by Tomris Giritlioğlu, followed by acclaimed films such as Istanbul Beneath My Wings, Kill the Master, and Innocence. His performances in these films earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards.

Throughout his career, Haluk Bilginer appeared in many notable television productions, including Days of Fire, Her Name Is Safiye, The Stock Exchange, The Final Word Is Love, Gülşen Abi, Oh No, My Father, Oh No, My Daughter Has Grown Up, Sweet Life, Those Who Run in the Dark, Brave Doubt, Still in Love, Mr. Minister, and That’s Life.

Reflecting on the difference between theater and television acting, he once stated: “The true battlefield of the actor is the theater stage. It is there, face to face with the audience without any intermediaries, that one understands whether an actor is truly an actor. This cannot really be understood in cinema or television, and acting cannot be learned on television.”

In cinema, he portrayed Evliya Çelebi in Istanbul Beneath My Wings, a film about the life of Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi. His performance in Innocence (1997) brought him major success, followed by roles in Elephants and Grass, Where Are You, Firuze?, There Is a Thief!, Why Was Hacivat Karagöz Killed?, and 15 Minutes in Low Heat.

In 1999, together with his then-wife Zuhal Olcay, he founded Oyun Atölyesi. There, he performed in stage productions such as Greek, Separation, Sinners, The Miser, The Other Death of Joan of Arc, and Timon of Athens.

His career has been honored with numerous awards, including Afife Theatre Awards, Ankara Art Institution Awards, Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Angers Film Festival, Sadri Alışık Awards, and many others. Most notably, he won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor in 2019 for his performance in the television series Persona.

Haluk Bilginer married Zuhal Olcay in 1992; the couple divorced on December 14, 2004. He later married singer and actress Aşkın Nur Yengi in 2006, with whom he has a daughter, Nazlı, born on November 30, 2006. They divorced in 2012 and remarried in Miami, USA, on July 10, 2017.

In recent years, he starred in internationally recognized productions such as The Ottoman Lieutenant, Halloween, Alex Rider, and The Turkish Detective. He also appeared in the acclaimed series Persona, which earned him international recognition, and continued his film career with works like Azizler. He is also set to appear alongside Angelina Jolie in the biographical film Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín.

Beyond acting, Haluk Bilginer is known for his intellectual outlook, strong theatrical discipline, and lifelong dedication to his craft. In his youth, he worked in various jobs including porter, shop assistant, and waiter, experiences that contributed to his grounded worldview. He is also a passionate supporter of the Galatasaray sports club.

Awards:
2019 – 47th International Emmy Awards – Best Actor (TV Series Persona)
2015 – 47th SIYAD Turkish Cinema Awards – Best Actor (Winter Sleep)
2010 – 37th Golden Butterfly TV Awards – Best Actor (Comedy) (If It Comes to Friday)
2007 – 18th Ankara Film Festival – Best Actor (Police)
2006 – 17th Ankara Film Festival – Best Actor (Why Was Hacivat Karagöz Killed?)
2004 – 9th Sadri Alışık Awards – Best Actor (Where Are You, Firuze?)
1998 – 20th SIYAD Turkish Cinema Awards – Best Actor (Innocence)
1998 – 10th Ankara Film Festival – Best Actor (Innocence)
1998 – 10th Angers Film Festival – Best Actor (Innocence)
1997 – 11th Adana Golden Boll Film Festival – Best Actor (Innocence)
1997 – 34th Antalya Film Festival – Best Supporting Actor (Innocence)

Filmography and Television Work:
Actor:
2023 – Maria (Aristotle Onassis) (Feature Film)
2023 – The Veil (TV Series)
2023 – The Turkish Detective (Çetin İ.) (TV Series)
2022 – The Father (Emin Saruhanlı) (TV Series)
2022 – Hot Skull (Haluk) (TV Series)
2022 – The Uysals (Berhudar) (TV Series)
2021 – Şeref Bey (Şeref) (TV Series)
2021 – Azizler (Erbil) (Feature Film)
2020 – 9 Times Leyla (Adem) (Feature Film)
2020 – Alex Rider (Dr. Greif) (TV Series)
2020 – Mount Nuh (İbrahim) (Feature Film)
2018 – Persona (Agah Beyoğlu) (TV Series)
2018 – Halloween (Dr. Sartain) (Feature Film)
2017 – Shelter (Ahmet) (Feature Film)
2017 – Trendy (Hasan) (Feature Film)
2017 – The Odd Couple (Nick) (Feature Film)
2017 – Innocent (Chief Inspector Cevdet) (TV Series)
2017 – Black Script (Oğuz Karahan) (TV Series)
2017 – Cingöz Recai (Mehmet Rıza) (Feature Film)
2017 – The Ottoman Lieutenant (Khalil Bey) (Feature Film)
2016 – Ice Age: Collision Course (Turkish Voice) (Feature Film)
2016 – New Blood (John Malik) (TV Series)
2016 – Ben-Hur (Simonides) (Feature Film)
2015 – Broken Hearts Bank (Yusuf Yağmur) (Feature Film)
2015 – Comedy Turkey (Jury) (TV Program)
2014 – Rosewater (Baba Akbar) (Feature Film)
2013 – The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Nazmi Kemal) (Feature Film)
2013 – Winter Sleep (Aydın) (Feature Film)
2013–2014 – The Fugitive (Ustura Faysal) (TV Series)
2012 – Children of Gallipoli (Kasım) (Feature Film)
2012 – Role of My Life (Müşfik) (TV Series)
2012 – Evliya Çelebi and the Fountain of Immortality (Evliya Çelebi / Voice) (Feature Film)
2012 – Ice Age: Continental Drift (Diego – Voice) (Feature Film)
2012 – Strange Stories (Sinan) (TV Series)
2011 – The Gold of Istanbul (Reşat Altın) (TV Series)
2011 – W.E. (Mohamed Al-Fayed) (Feature Film)
2010 – Five Minarets in New York (Hacı Gümüş) (Feature Film)
2010 – If It Comes to Friday (Cuma) (TV Series)
2010 – Ezel – Season 2 (Kenan Birkan) (TV Series)
2009 – International (Ahmet Sunay) (Feature Film)
2009 – Close Friends (Hikmet) (TV Series)
2009 – Watercolor (Feature Film)
2009 – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Diego – Voice) (Feature Film)
2009 – Seven Husbands for Hürmüz (Kuşçu Cebrail) (Feature Film)
2008 – Where Were We? (Ateş) (TV Series)
2008 – Son of the Sun (Alper Canan) (Feature Film)
2008 – Cars of the Revolution (Necip) (Feature Film)
2008 – Instant Image Show (Himself) (TV Show)
2007 – The Magic Toymaker (Turkish Voice) (Feature Film)
2007 – My Dear In-Law (Ahmet) (TV Series)
2006 – Police (Musa Rami) (Feature Film)
2006 – 15 Minutes in Low Heat (Muhtar) (Feature Film)
2006 – Ice Age: The Meltdown (Turkish Voice) (Feature Film)
2005 – Why Was Hacivat Karagöz Killed? (Karagöz) (Feature Film)
2004 – Spooks (Emre Çelenk – Guest) (TV Series)
2004 – Mr. Minister (Undersecretary Samim Bayraktar) (TV Series)
2004 – There Is a Thief! (Seçkin Doruk) (Feature Film)
2004 – She’s Gone (Inspector Yılmaz) (Feature Film)
2002 – The Hittites (Hattusili III) (Feature Film)
2002 – Ice Age (Diego – Voice) (Feature Film)
2001 – Sweet Life (İhsan Yıldırım) (TV Series)
2001 – Running in the Dark (Ali) (TV Series)
2001 – Brave Doubt (Cesur) (TV Series)
2001 – Buffalo Soldiers (The Turk) (Feature Film)
2000 – Elephants and Grass (Sabit Üzücü) (Feature Film)
2000 – Oh No, My Daughter Has Grown Up (Sedat) (TV Series)
2000 – Stock Exchange (TV Series)
1999 – The Bill (Olly) (TV Series)
1999 – Toy Story 2 (Turkish Voice) (Feature Film)
1999 – Harem Suare (Abdulhamid) (Feature Film)
1999 – Farewell (Butcher) (Feature Film)
1998 – Oh No, My Father (Sedat) (TV Series)
1997 – Nihavent Miracle (Erol Alemdaroğlu) (Feature Film)
1997 – Marital Status (Haydar) (TV Series)
1997 – Innocence (Bekir) (Feature Film)
1997 – Deadlock (TV Series)
1996 – Istanbul Beneath My Wings (Evliya Çelebi) (Feature Film)
1996 – Kill the Master (Aaron) (Feature Film)
1996 – 80th Step (Prosecutor) (Feature Film)
1995 – Toy Story (Turkish Voice) (Feature Film)
1994 – Gülşen Abi (Abidin Özbidin / Gülşen Abla) (TV Series)
1993 – The Final Word Is Love (Tahsin) (TV Series)
1993 – The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Colonel İsmet Bey) (TV Series)
1992 – Two Women (Metin) (Feature Film)
1992 – The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (İsmet Bey) (Feature Film)
1991 – Dead on His Feet (Ömer) (Feature Film)
1991 – Her Name Is Safiye (TV Series)
1991 – Memories of Midnight (Dino Mattusi) (Feature Film)
1991 – One Word Leads to Another (Himself)
1987 – Lionheart (Merchant) (Feature Film)
1987 – Kara Sevdalı Bulut (Atilla) (Feature Film)
1987 – Ishtar (Guerrilla Leader) (Feature Film)
1987 – The Other Side of the Night (TV Series)
1987 – Days of Fire (Ahmet Rıfkı) (TV Series)
1986 – Half Moon Street (Arab Man) (Feature Film)
1985 – Bergerac (Ahmet) (TV Series)
1985 – Murder of a Moderate Man (Sason) (TV Series)
1985 – EastEnders (Mehmet Osman) (TV Series)
1984 – The Glory Boys (Taxi Driver) (TV Series)
1981 – Bergerac (Ahmed) (TV Series)

Source: Biyografiler.com