Farah Zeynep Abdullah (born 17 August 1989) is a Turkish actress and singer. She gained nationwide recognition and critical acclaim for her roles in the films ''
Kelebeğin Rüyası
''The Butterfly's Dream'' ( tr, Kelebeğin Rüyası) is a 2013 Turkish drama film written and directed by Yılmaz Erdoğan. The film was selected as the Turkish entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Fil ...
'' (2013), ''
Unutursam Fısılda'' (2014), ''
Bizim İçin: Şampiyon'' (2018) and ''
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
'' (2022), and the television series ''
Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman Ki
''Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki'' (English: ''Time Goes By'') is a Turkish drama television series broadcast by Kanal D based on a true story.
Plot
Season 1
The series is set in 1967 and revolves around the Akarsu family. Ali Akarsu is the patri ...
'' (2010–2013) and ''
Masumlar Apartmanı'' (2020–2021).
Early life
Farah Zeynep Abdullah was born on 17 August 1989, in
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
,
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, ...
. Her maternal grandfather is Turkish from
Erzincan
Erzincan (; ku, Erzîngan), historically Yerznka ( hy, Երզնկա), is the capital of Erzincan Province in Eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is ...
, while her grandmother is of Bosnian descent. Her maternal family also has
Macedonian and
Crimean
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
origins. Her father, Osman, is of
Iraqi Turkmen
The Iraqi Turkmens (also spelled as Turkoman and Turcoman; tr, Irak Türkmenleri), also referred to as Iraqi Turks, Turkish-Iraqis, the Turkish minority in Iraq, and the Iraqi-Turkish minority ( ar, تركمان العراق; tr, Irak Türkleri ...
ancestry. Due to
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, he immigrated to Turkey as a child, but still completed his military service in Iraq. Her paternal grandmother is originally from
Pljevlja
Pljevlja ( srp, Пљевља, ) is a town and the center of Pljevlja Municipality located in the northern part of Montenegro. The town lies at an altitude of . In the Middle Ages, Pljevlja had been a crossroad of the important commercial roads and ...
,
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
. Abdullah has two brothers. Her secondary education was spent at the Lycée Français Saint-Michel 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, ...
until her family moved to London due to her father's job.
Career
![Farah Zeynep Abdullah ve Birkan Sokullu, Masumlar Apartmanı](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Farah_Zeynep_Abdullah_ve_Birkan_Sokullu%2C_Masumlar_Apartman%C4%B1.jpg)
In 2010, during her studies at the
University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
, Abdullah was offered a role in the melodrama ''
Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki
''Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki'' (English: ''Time Goes By'') is a Turkish drama television series broadcast by Kanal D based on a true story.
Plot
Season 1
The series is set in 1967 and revolves around the Akarsu family. Ali Akarsu is the patri ...
'',
for which she completed 2 seasons and 79 episodes. The series also won her a Best Supporting Actress award at the Antalya Television Awards in 2011.
In 2013, she appeared in
Yılmaz Erdoğan
Yılmaz Erdoğan (born 4 November 1967) is a Turkish filmmaker, actor and poet who is most famous for his box-office record-breaking debut comedy film '' Vizontele'' (2001) and the television series ''Bir Demet Tiyatro'' (1995–2002/2006–2007). ...
's film ''
Kelebeğin Rüyası
''The Butterfly's Dream'' ( tr, Kelebeğin Rüyası) is a 2013 Turkish drama film written and directed by Yılmaz Erdoğan. The film was selected as the Turkish entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Fil ...
'' ("The Butterfly's Dream") with
Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ
Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ (; born 27 October 1983) is a Turkish actor, model, and former basketball player. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Turkey and has won many awards, including three Golden Butterfly Awards and a Yeşilçam Cinema Award. ...
. It was selected by the Minister of Culture and Tourism as Turkey's candidate for the 2014's
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
For the role, Abdullah won the trophy for Best Supporting Actress at the 18th Sadri Alışık Cinema and Theatre Awards.
In 2014, she appeared in the film ''
Bi Küçük Eylül Meselesi'' ("A Small September Affair") with
Engin Akyürek
Engin Akyürek (born 12 October 1981) is a Turkish actor, screenwriter and author. Akyürek began his acting career in the year 2004. Having starred in many critically acclaimed series and movies, Akyürek is regarded as one of Turkey's most succes ...
. She then worked for the second time alongside Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ in the period drama ''
Kurt Seyit ve Şura
''Kurt Seyit ve Şura'' is Turkish television drama based on a novel of the same name in a series. (It is not a direct adaptation of ''Kurt Seyt ve Murka,'' which is the second novel in the series, nor of ''Shura'', which is the third novel.) It ...
''. Abdullah later starred in director
Çağan Irmak
Çağan Irmak (born 4 April 1970) is a Turkish film and television writer and director, who has managed to attract a large audience in Turkey and is best known for the TV series '' Çemberimde Gül Oya'' (2004–2005) and ''Asmalı Konak'' (2002 ...
's musical romance film ''
Unutursam Fisilda'' ("Whisper If I Forget"). The role brought her multiple awards as she stunned audiences with her acting and singing skills.
In 2015, she voiced Princess Courtney in the Turkish version of ''
Barbie in Rock 'N Royals''. Later that year Abdullah completed ''
Ekşi Elmalar
''Sour Apples'' ( tr, Ekşi Elmalar) is a 2016 Turkish drama film directed by Yilmaz Erdogan.
Cast
* Farah Zeynep Abdullah - Muazzez
* Yılmaz Erdoğan - Aziz Özay
* Songül Öden - Türkan Özay
* Şükran Ovalı
Şükran Pınar Ovalı (b ...
'' ("Sour Apples"), her second project with director Yılmaz Erdoğan. The film was released on 28 October 2016 in Turkey and in early November in Europe.
In late July 2016, rumours of Abdullah joining the hit series ''
Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem'' ("Magnificent Century: Kösem") surfaced on social media. A few days later, it was confirmed that she had joined the series in the role of Hungarian princess Farya Bethlen.
In 2018 she played famous singer
Ajda Pekkan
Ayşe Ajda Pekkan (; born 12 February 1946) is a Turkish singer. She is known by the title "superstar" in the Turkish media. Pekkan became a prominent figure of Turkish pop music with her songs, in which she tried to create a strong female figure. ...
in the fantasy comedy film ''
Arif V 216
''Arif V 216'' is a Turkish comedy film directed by Kıvanç Baruönü and written by Cem Yılmaz. It stars Cem Yılmaz, Ozan Güven, Seda Bakan, Zafer Algöz and Özkan Uğur. It is a sequel to '' A.R.O.G'' (2008) and '' G.O.R.A'' (2004).
Plot ...
'', where she sang Pekkan's songs "Milyonzade" and "Boşvermişim Dünyaya". Abdullah then starred in the series ''
Gülizar'' and the film ''
Bizim İçin: Şampiyon'' ("For Us: Champion"), which tells the life story of jockey Halis Karataş.
Between 2020 and 2021, she worked alongside
Birkan Sokullu
Birkan Sokullu (born 6 October 1985) is a Turkish actor.
Life and career
Birkan Sokullu was born in Istanbul on 6 October 1985. Sokullu's grandparents were Bosnian immigrants. He left his basketball career after 10 years due to his leg injury ...
in ''
Masumlar Apartmanı'' ("Apartment of the Innocents"), which is adapted from a novel by
Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu.
In 2022, Abdullah starred in the
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
film ''
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
''.
Personal life
In December 2022, in response to the question "Do you have a chronic disease?" on her social media account she said: "I have a cervical
hernia
A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...
, my thyroid does not work, I have
Hashimoto's
Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and Hashimoto's disease, is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. Early on, symptoms may not be noticed. Over time, the thyroid may enlarg ...
. I have a
lesion in my brain. Also, my knee is very bad."
Filmography
Television series
Film
Discography
Awards and nominations
2022: 33rd Ankara Film Festival:Fresh Breath in Cinema Award: Won Bergen
References
External links
*
Farah Zeynep Abdullah on TurkishStarsDaily
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah, Farah Zeynep
1989 births
Turkish people of Iraqi Turkmen descent
21st-century Turkish actresses
Living people
People educated at Claires Court School
Actresses from Istanbul
Turkish television actresses
Turkish film actresses
Turkish people of Bosniak descent
Alumni of the University of Kent
Iraqi Turkmen people
Turkish people of Bosnian descent
Turkish people of Macedonian descent