Halit Ergenç

Halit Ergenç — Biography

Born Halit Ahmet Ergenç in İstanbul on April 30, 1970, he was the son of Yeşilçam-era actor and musician Mehmet Sait Ergenç; his mother, İnci Aliye Yüceışık, was of Albanian descent. After Beşiktaş Atatürk High School he began studying naval engineering at Istanbul Technical University, leaving in his second year to complete a degree in opera and musical theatre acting at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University; as a student he worked as a backing vocalist for Ajda Pekkan and Leman Sam.

He stepped onto the stage in 1996 in the Dormen Theatre's production of Kral ve Ben, and that same year made his screen debut in Kara Melek; he became known for the roles of Devran in Zerda and Sinan Karahan in Aliye. In 2006 he starred opposite Bergüzar Korel in Binbir Gece, which brought him international fame and a Golden Butterfly, and his portrayal of Sultan Suleiman in Muhteşem Yüzyıl earned him the same honor a second time. He played Lieutenant Colonel Cevdet in Vatanım Sensin and İrfan in Babil; on film, Babam ve Oğlum, Devrim Arabaları, and his portrayal of Atatürk in Dersimiz: Atatürk stand out. His participation in the 2013 Gezi Park protests drew wide attention; in 2017 he was honored as an international icon at an awards ceremony in Pakistan, and in 2026 he took on the role of Willy Loman in a staging of an Arthur Miller play.

Ergenç married Gizem Soysaldı in 2007 and separated a year and a half later; he has been married to Bergüzar Korel since 2009, and the couple have three children, Ali, Han and Leyla, and live in London.