Arzum Onan

Arzum Onan — Biography

Arzum Onan is an actress and sculptor who was chosen Miss Turkey and Miss Europe in 1993 and then moved into acting, becoming known for the series Sıcak Saatler and Sahra. Her career began with modelling and a beauty contest, continued in acting, and since 2004 has moved on to sculpture.

She grew up as the only child of a civil-servant family, attended primary school in Ankara and middle and high school in Istanbul, and graduated from the building-draughtsman department of Ümraniye Industrial Vocational High School. In 1992 she started modelling at the Gaye Sökmen agency. In April 1993 she won the Miss Turkey contest, and in July of that year she represented her country at Miss Europe, held in Istanbul, and was crowned Miss Europe. An important advertising campaign put her in front of the camera for three years. In 1997 she appeared in Yeni Bir Yıldız, and in the same year she began work on Sıcak Saatler, which ran for four years and in which she played Buket Hazal. Merdoğlu (as Zeynep), Zeybek Ateşi, Sahra (the title role), Sessiz Fırtına (as Deniz Soykan) and Kardelen followed, and on film she appeared in Aşkın İkinci Yarısı. She also appeared in advertisements for many brands, and later modelled in special fashion shows.

She has pursued sculpture since 2004; her solo exhibitions Dokuz and Kadın have been held in various places in Turkey, and group shows have taken her work to Milan and New York. She married the actor Mehmet Aslantuğ in 1996 and they divorced in May 2023; they have a son born in 2000.