Tülin Özen

Tülin Özen — Biography

Tülin Özen is a Turkish stage, film and television actor known for her work in independent cinema as well as popular series; she was born on 24 December 1979 in İskenderun to an engineering couple from Şavşat, Artvin, and has one sister. After İzmir Bornova Anatolian High School she began studying electrical engineering at Istanbul Technical University, but switched in her third year after winning a scholarship place in the theatre department at Yeditepe University, making her professional stage debut in the State Theatres' Kaygusuz Abdal.

Her role as Zeynep in Semih Kaplanoğlu's Meleğin Düşüşü won her the Golden Orange's best actress prize in 2004, then similar honours at the Ankara and Nuremberg Turkey/Germany festivals, a breakthrough that defined her early career; she went on to appear in the director's Yumurta, Süt and Bal trilogy. Her supporting role in Vicdan later brought her the Sadri Alışık prize, followed by best supporting actress honours from Altın Koza and SİYAD.

On television she reached wide audiences as Meryemce in Beyaz Gelincik and as Handan Sultan in Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem, and played Arzu in the series Ufak Tefek Cinayetler. More recently she has appeared in Bir Başkadır, Kırmızı Oda, Kara, Pera Palas'ta Gece Yarısı and Adile, returned to television and film in 2026 with Perde, İstanbul Hatırası and Mercan Köşk, and shared a stage with Nilperi Şahinkaya for the first time that year in the play Ballı Süt.