Neslihan Atagül (born 20 August 1992) is a
Turkish actress. She is best known for her role in ''
Kara Sevda
''Endless Love'' (, literal translation ''Dark Love'') is a Turkish drama series produced by Ay Yapım and broadcast on Star TV between 2015 and 2017. Directed by Hilal Saral, it stars Burak Özçivit, Neslihan Atagül and Kaan Urgancıoğlu. ...
'' (2015–2017), a series sold to more than 110 countries and the first Turkish TV series winner of the
International Emmy Award
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...
(2017).
She had leading roles in the series ''
Fatih Harbiye'' (2013–2014) and
Sefirin Kizi (2019-2021) and in the films ''Araf'' and ''Senden Bana Kalan''. Throughout her acting career, she has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Academy Award for "Best Actress" at the
Tokyo International Film Festival
The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
.
Biography
Neslihan Atagül was born on 20 August 1992 in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. Her father was a driver and her mother a housewife. Her father is of
Circassian and her mother is of
Belarusian descent.
She studied theater at the
Yeditepe University.
Career
Early years
In 2006, she made her acting debut in the film ''İlk Aşk'', for which she won the first prize of her career as "Promising Young Actress". Between 2006 and 2010, she got a role in the series ''
Yaprak Dökümü'' based on the novel of the
same name. In the following years, she appeared in other series such as ''Canım Babam'', ''Kalbim Seni Seçti'', ''Hayat Devam Ediyor.''
In 2012, she was noted for her starring role in the film ''Araf'', for which she won the Academy Award for "Best Actress" at the prestigious
Tokyo International Film Festival
The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. According to the FIAPF, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals and the second largest film festival in Asia behind the ...
.
2013–2014: ''Fatih Harbiye''
In 2013, Atagül landed her first leading role in the romance drama series ''
Fatih Harbiye'', alongside
Kadir DoÄŸulu. The series is an adaptation of the eponymous book by Turkish writer
Peyami Safa, published in 1931, where she played Neriman Solmaz, a motherless young woman from the
mahala who is engaged to her lifelong boyfriend until she meets Macit ArcaoÄŸlu (Kadir DoÄŸulu).
''Fatih Harbiye'' premiered on 31 August 2013 on the
Fox channel, but later moved to
Show TV
Show TV is a Turkish free-to-air national television channel, established in 1991 by Erol Aksoy, Dinç Bilgin, Haldun Simavi and Erol Simavi, owned by the Can Holding.
History
The channel replaces Cine5's now-defunct frequencies, and it was ...
. It ran for two seasons and ended on 10 December 2014.
2015–2017: ''Kara Sevda'' and rising popularity
In 2015, one of the most important and most beloved roles of her career would arrive, that of Nihan Sezin in the melodrama ''
Kara Sevda
''Endless Love'' (, literal translation ''Dark Love'') is a Turkish drama series produced by Ay Yapım and broadcast on Star TV between 2015 and 2017. Directed by Hilal Saral, it stars Burak Özçivit, Neslihan Atagül and Kaan Urgancıoğlu. ...
'', which became the first Turkish series to be awarded the
International Emmy Award
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...
for Best Telenovela in 2017.
The series also received the special jury award at the
Seoul International Drama Awards.
''Kara Sevda'' has become one of the most watched Turkish series in the world, being translated into more than 50 languages and broadcast in more than 110 countries such as
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the RÃo de la Plata to the south and the A ...
and
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. During its broadcast in the United States for Hispanic community, it became the most watched non-Spanish series on the
Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
channel.
She made her debut on online streaming platforms with the series ''
Dip'' (2018) alongside
İlker Kaleli.
2019–2021: ''Sefirin Kızı''
In 2019, Neslihan Atagül returned to the small screen with the series ''
Sefirin Kızı'', playing Nare.
The series aired on
Star TV for two seasons with a total of 52 episodes. It premiered on 16 December 2019 and ended on 11 May 2021, and for her performance she received the "Best Actress" award at the Izmir Artemis International Film Festival. However, midway through the series, she announced her withdrawal from the series due to health problems as she suffered from
leaky gut syndrome.
Personal life
Neslihan started dating her ''Fatih Harbiye'' co-star,
Kadir DoÄŸulu, in October 2013. They got engaged in November 2015, and were married in July 2016. The couple welcomed a son in 2025.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atagul, Neslihan
Living people
Turkish people of Belarusian descent
Turkish people of Circassian descent
Turkish stage actresses
Turkish film actresses
Turkish child actresses
Actresses from Istanbul
Turkish television actresses
21st-century Turkish actresses
1992 births