# Farah Zeynep Abdullah
**Farah Zeynep Abdullah** (born 1989 in Istanbul) is a Turkish actress and singer who came to prominence as Aylin in the television series *Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki* and later starred in films including *Kelebeğin Rüyası* (The Butterfly's Dream, 2013), *Unutursam Fısılda* (Whisper If I Forget, 2014), *Bergen* (2022), and *Bihter* (2023).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Istanbul, Turkey[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) |
| Family background | Daughter of an Iraqi Turkmen father and a mother of Turkish and Bosnian descent[2](https://www.sinematurk.com/kisi/96542-farah-zeynep-abdullah) |
| Education | Partially at Saint Michel French High School, Istanbul; high school completed in England; University of Kent, Drama and Theatre Studies & French Department[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) • [2](https://www.sinematurk.com/kisi/96542-farah-zeynep-abdullah) |
| Television debut | Aylin Akarsu in *Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki* (As Time Goes By, 2010), a series she played in for three years from 2010[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) |
| Film debut | Mediha Sessiz in *Kelebeğin Rüyası* (2013), Turkey's submission to the Academy Awards[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) |
| Breakthrough role | Title role in *Bergen* (2022), which sold 5,307,686 tickets by 15 April 2022 and grossed 155,693,073 lira[3](https://www.haberturk.com/farah-zeynep-abdullah-bergen-in-ortagi-mi-degil-mi-3407477) |
| Advocacy | Volunteer supporter of Amnesty International Turkey and the HeForShe gender-equality campaign[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Abdullah was born in Istanbul to a father of [Iraqi Turkmen](https://www.edgepedia.org/iraqi-turkmen) descent and a mother of Turkish and Bosnian descent[2](https://www.sinematurk.com/kisi/96542-farah-zeynep-abdullah). Her paternal grandfather, Osman Abdullah, was born in Erbil and served as a colonel in the Iraqi army; her maternal family traces roots to Sarajevo, to Pljevlja (now in [Montenegro](https://www.edgepedia.org/montenegro)), and to Erzincan, from which relatives moved to Istanbul after the 1939 earthquake[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t).
She attended part of high school at Saint Michel French High School in Istanbul before leaving, because of her father's work, to complete secondary school in England[2](https://www.sinematurk.com/kisi/96542-farah-zeynep-abdullah). She studied French, Media, and Drama in sixth form in [Maidenhead](https://www.edgepedia.org/maidenhead), Berkshire, where she received her first acting award at Claires Court Schools in 2008, presented by [Theresa May](https://www.edgepedia.org/theresa-may), then the local Member of Parliament[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/). Her first professional stage role was Alice in Patrick Marber's *Closer* in [Canterbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/canterbury)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/).
## Career
**Television.** Three days before she was due to return to her school in England, Abdullah learned that she had passed screen tests and had been cast as Aylin in *Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki*, a period drama she joined while preparing to start university[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/) • [5](https://www.beyazperde.com/sanatcilar/sanatci-515197/biyografi/). She played Aylin Akarsu for three years from 2010 and the series ran for three seasons[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/). She left the cast after the second season, returned to the [University of Kent](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-kent), and completed her degree in 2013[6](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/farah-zeynep-abdullah-kimdir-kac-yasinda-aslen-nereli-evli-mi-1913252). She returned to screens in *Kurt Seyit ve Şura* (2014), in which she played a lead role alongside [Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-vanc-tatl-tug) on Star TV[5](https://www.beyazperde.com/sanatcilar/sanatci-515197/biyografi/), and played Farya, opposite Sultan Murad, in *Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem* in 2016–2017[6](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/farah-zeynep-abdullah-kimdir-kac-yasinda-aslen-nereli-evli-mi-1913252). Later series include *Gülizar* (2018) and *Masumlar Apartmanı* (2020)[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t).
**Film.** Her film debut came as Mediha Sessiz in [Yılmaz Erdoğan](https://www.edgepedia.org/y-lmaz-erdogan)'s *Kelebeğin Rüyası* (The Butterfly's Dream, 2013), Turkey's submission to the Academy Awards, for which she was highly acclaimed[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/). In 2014 she appeared in *Bi Küçük Eylül Meselesi*, in Çağan Irmak's *Unutursam Fısılda* as the young Hatice, a role requiring singing, and in *Kurt Seyit ve Şura*[5](https://www.beyazperde.com/sanatcilar/sanatci-515197/biyografi/). The song "Gel ya da git", performed by Abdullah for the *Whisper If I Forget* soundtrack, topped the national charts for several consecutive weeks[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/). She played a lead in Yılmaz Erdoğan's *Ekşi Elmalar* (Sour Apples, 2016), played the pop icon Ajda Pekkan in *Arif v 216* (2018), and portrayed racehorse trainer Begüm Atman in *Şampiyon* (2018)[5](https://www.beyazperde.com/sanatcilar/sanatci-515197/biyografi/) • [7](https://ifann.net/wiki/farah-zeynep-abdullah).
**Bergen.** In 2022 she played the title role in *Bergen*, a biographical musical film about the singer Bergen, born Belgin Sarılmışer, who was murdered in 1989[8](https://www.beyazperde.com/filmler/film-281303/elestiriler-beyazperde/). Abdullah sang the character's songs herself in the film[9](https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/koseyazisi/guzeller-guzeli-acilarin-kadini-bergen-304018). The film was released on 4 March 2022; by 15 April it had sold 5,307,686 tickets against a total of 17,476,358 for the 204 films shown in Turkey that year, grossing 155,693,073 lira, about 30.3 percent of the total box office[3](https://www.haberturk.com/farah-zeynep-abdullah-bergen-in-ortagi-mi-degil-mi-3407477). Turkish film critics praised the performance, though Atilla Dorsay wrote in T24 that her singing, while central to the role, occasionally fell below the real Bergen's vocal standard[10](https://www.beyazperde.com/filmler/film-281303/basin-elestrileri/). She received the SIYAD (Turkish Film Critics Association) Best Actress award for the role[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12578564/awards/).
In 2023 she played the title role in *Bihter*, an adaptation of [Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil](https://www.edgepedia.org/halid-ziya-usakl-gil)'s novel *Aşk-ı Memnu*[7](https://ifann.net/wiki/farah-zeynep-abdullah). She was credited as co-producer on *Bergen*; the film's co-producer, Alp Çağrı Günal, said the credit was a token of thanks for the extra value she brought rather than a financial partnership[3](https://www.haberturk.com/farah-zeynep-abdullah-bergen-in-ortagi-mi-degil-mi-3407477).
## Awards and public activity
Her awards include Best Supporting Actress at the 2011 Antalya Television Awards for *Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki*, the 2013 Sadri Alışık Award for a supporting actress for *Kelebeğin Rüyası*, the 2014 SIYAD Award for the same film, and the 2022 SIYAD Best Actress award for *Bergen*[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12578564/awards/). Several critics' and university awards followed *Unutursam Fısılda* in 2015[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t).
She has served as an international jury member at film festivals alongside figures including Guillermo Arriaga, Hayet Benkara, Pierre-Henri Deleau, and Nathan Silver[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/). She is a volunteer supporter of Amnesty International Turkey and appeared in the [HeForShe](https://www.edgepedia.org/heforshe) campaign advertisement on gender equality[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t). In October 2021 she publicly criticized the release without arrest of Musa Orhan, accused of raping a young woman; Orhan's lawyer filed a compensation suit against her, which she responded to by calling it a mentality that turns an accusation of rape into a source of damages[6](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/farah-zeynep-abdullah-kimdir-kac-yasinda-aslen-nereli-evli-mi-1913252).
## Music
Music has run through her career. She recorded her first professional work, a jingle for a milk commercial, in middle school on her music teacher's advice[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t). She sang six songs adapted from English to Turkish as the Turkish voice of *Barbie in Rock 'N Royals* (2015)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/), reached number one with "Gel ya da git" from the *Whisper If I Forget* soundtrack[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/), and sang all of Bergen's songs in *Bergen*[9](https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/koseyazisi/guzeller-guzeli-acilarin-kadini-bergen-304018). She has written songs and poems since the age of eleven, although a teacher once told her she was not musically gifted and lacked a musical ear[4](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t).
## References
1. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4198135/bio/)
2. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah, SinemaTürk](https://www.sinematurk.com/kisi/96542-farah-zeynep-abdullah)
3. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah, 'Bergen'in ortağı mı değil mi?, Habertürk](https://www.haberturk.com/farah-zeynep-abdullah-bergen-in-ortagi-mi-degil-mi-3407477)
4. [Kadrajdakiler: Farah Zeynep Abdullah, Independent Türkçe](https://www.indyturk.com/node/426501/t)
5. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah: biyografi - Beyazperde.com](https://www.beyazperde.com/sanatcilar/sanatci-515197/biyografi/)
6. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah kimdir, Cumhuriyet](https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/galeri/farah-zeynep-abdullah-kimdir-kac-yasinda-aslen-nereli-evli-mi-1913252)
7. [Farah Zeynep Abdullah – Wiki, iFANN](https://ifann.net/wiki/farah-zeynep-abdullah)
8. [Bergen filminin Beyazperde.com eleştirisi](https://www.beyazperde.com/filmler/film-281303/elestiriler-beyazperde/)
9. [Güzeller güzeli acıların kadını: Bergen, Aydınlık](https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/koseyazisi/guzeller-guzeli-acilarin-kadini-bergen-304018)
10. [Bergen filmi için basın yorumları, Beyazperde.com](https://www.beyazperde.com/filmler/film-281303/basin-elestrileri/)
11. [Bergen (2022) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12578564/awards/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Surnames symbols to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license