Şerif Sezer

Şerif Sezer — Biography

Born on 12 December 1946 in Mudanya, Şerif Sezer studied at the Theatre Department of Ankara University's Faculty of Language, History and Geography before beginning her stage career with the State Theatres. Of Rumelian, Georgian and Laz descent, she made her film debut in Sinan Çetin's Bir Günün Hikâyesi (1980) and soon became known for her portrayals of Eastern and rural Turkish women.

She is best remembered for Yol (1982), directed by Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören and winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and for Erden Kıral's Hakkâri'de Bir Mevsim (1983), which won a Silver Bear in Germany. Sezer reached a much wider audience playing "Kader" in the 2002 television series Asmalı Konak, and went on to appear in films such as Mustafa Hakkında Herşey and Babam ve Oğlum, the latter earning her a Best Actress award.

Still active after more than four decades on screen, she returned to television in the 2025 series Çarpıntı, in a storyline where her character's younger years are played by her own daughter. In early 2026 she made headlines defending director Yılmaz Güney against criticism, and around the same time spoke publicly for the first time about a car accident she had survived.