# Meryem Uzerli

Meryem Sarah Uzerli (Turkish pronunciation:; born 12 August 1983) is a German-born Turkish model and actress best known for her starring role as Hurrem Sultan in Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2011-2013), Kovan (2018) and RU (2024). She is the recipient of two Golden Butterfly Awards.

## Early life

Uzerli was born on 12 August 1983, to Hüseyin, from Turkey and Ursula, an actress from Germany. She was raised in Kassel, West Germany. She has two older brothers and an older sister, Canan, who is a jazz musician. Her maternal great-grandmother was a Croatian. Due to her father's nationality, she has both Turkish-German citizenship. She made her acting debut with minor parts in German productions. She later made minor appearances in the television series Notruf Hafenkante (2010) and Ein Fall für zwei (2010). Uzerli is also known for her roles in German films like Journey of No Return (2010) and Jetzt aber Ballett (2010). At the end of 2010, she was chosen by Meral Okay for her first leading role in the Turkish TV series Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2011–2013). In addition to her acting career, Uzerli has appeared in many advertising films and is the face of numerous brands. In 2012, she was chosen as the Woman of the Year by GQ Turkey. Due to her role as Hurrem Sultan, she has won 23 awards and became one of the most famous actresses in Turkey.
Uzerli's native language is German. She is also fluent in Turkish and English.

## Career
### 2011–13: Muhteşem Yüzyıl

Uzerli's most known breakout role is as Hürrem Sultan in the historical television drama series Muhteşem Yüzyıl, directed by the Taylan Brothers. In 2010, after an eight-month search to find the best actress for this role, she was chosen by Meral Okay, the series' screenwriter, and Timur Savcı, the series' producer. About her selection, she said: "Until one day the phone rang, I was invited for a casting in Turkey, and then immediately I started living in Istanbul almost full time." She lived in a hotel for two years during the shooting of Muhteşem Yüzyıl. She shared the leading role with Halit Ergenç, Okan Yalabık and Nebahat Çehre. She won the Golden Butterfly Award for Best Actress for this part in 2012. In 2013, she left the series due to health concerns, reportedly a burnout. From episode 103 and onwards, Vahide Perçin was cast in to play an older version of Hürrem.

### 2014–present: Gecenin Kraliçesi and Annemin Yarası

At the end of 2014, Uzerli signed a contract with O3, the Turkish production company of MBC Group. As of December 2014, she was still living in Berlin, but planning to move to Istanbul. In December 2014, Star TV released a video and a photo of Uzerli introducing her as one of its stars in 2015. In October 2015, she was again introduced among the TV's stars for 2016. About her future, she says: "I am trying to build on my international success within any industry where actors are respected as artists, and where I can find great scripts that allow me to delve into a story that leaves the here and now behind." In March 2015, it was finalized that Uzerli would share the leading role with Murat Yıldırım in her new TV series. The series' name was later announced as Gecenin Kraliçesi. It is directed by Muhteşem Yüzyıl directors, the Taylan Brothers. Some of the scenes for this series were filmed in Cannes, France. The shooting later continued in Rize, Turkey. It premiered on Star TV in January 2016.
In addition to her career in television, Uzerli also appeared in a cinema movie in 2016, titled Annemin Yarası. The film was released in March 2016. Her co-stars include Ozan Güven, Okan Yalabık, and Belçim Bilgin. Between 2016 and 2017, she appeared in a guest role on Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz. In 2017, she continued her movie career by appearing in Cingöz Recai opposite Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, although the film was not a box office success. Later in the same year, she shared the leading role with Özcan Deniz and Aslı Enver in the movie Öteki Taraf. In 2019, Uzerli auditioned for a role in the third season of the Netflix original series Dark. She also appeared as the lead role in the movie Kovan, the proceeds of which were donated to Haluk Levent's Ahbap foundation.
As a model, she is the face of Blue Diamond and Maison Novague. She was also the face of Russian brand Faberlic. She has appeared on the cover of FabUk and has done photoshoots and videos for Louis Vuitton and Vogue. She has a photography page on Instagram.
Uzerli will be seen playing Reyan in the upcoming Gain series Ru which will be released on 24 May 2024.

## Personal life

On 10 February 2014, she gave birth to a girl, Lara Jemima. A second daughter, Lily, was born on 8 January 2021.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Menage A Trois | Madeline | Short film |
| 2008 | Jetzt vorbei | | |
| 2009 | Das total verrückte Wochenende | Prostitute | |
| 2009 | Wiedergeburt | | Short film |
| 2009 | The Line | Anna | Short film |
| 2009 | Schulterblick | | Short film |
| 2009 | Lauf um deine Liebe | | Short film |
| 2009 | LUME | | Short film |
| 2009 | Sterne über dem Eis | Student | |
| 2010 | Journey of No Return | Stewardess | |
| 2010 | Das ist ja das Leben selbst | | |
| 2010 | The Dark Chest of Wonders | | Short film |
| 2010 | Urbane Dater | | Short film |
| 2010 | Lover's Guide | Mara | Short film |
| 2016 | Annemin Yarası | Marija | Main role |
| 2017 | Cingöz Recai | Göze | Main role |
| 2017 | Öteki Taraf | Sarah | Main role |
| 2018 | Kovan | Ayşe | Main role |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Ein total verrücktes Wochenende | | |
| 2008 | Inga Lindström: Hannas Fest | Britta | Protagonist |
| 2009 | Hayat | | Trailer |
| 2010 | Der Staatsanwalt | | Episode: "Mordswut" |
| 2010 | Notruf Hafenkante | | Episode: "Alles Lüge" |
| 2010 | Ein Fall für zwei | Ankel | Episode: "Verlust" |
| 2010 | Jetzt aber Ballett | Sasha Kitano | TV movie |
| 2010 | WALF: We All Love Football | Lena | TV series |
| 2011–2013 | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Hürrem Sultan | Main role |
| 2016 | Gecenin Kraliçesi | Selin | Main role |
| 2016–2017 | Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz | Suzi | Supporting role |
Web series
2024 Ru Reyan Leading role Gain

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 2010 | 47th International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | Journey of No Return | Won |
| 2011 | 24th Tüketici Academy Award | Best Female Lead | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | Silver Horse Award | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | TV Stars Award | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | 38th Golden Butterfly Award | Special Prize | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | Marmara University | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | TV Oscars | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | 2nd AyakliGazete.com Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2011 | Turkish Antalya Television Award | Best Drama Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Nominated |
| 2012 | Turkey GQ Awards | Woman of the Year | | Won |
| 2012 | 39th Golden Butterfly Award | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Galatasaray University | Best Film and Serial Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Istanbul Kültür University | Best Drama Series Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Golden MDG Award | Best Drama Lead Turkey | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Magazinci.com Honorary Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Magazine Journalists Association: Golden Objective Awards | Best Actress of the Year | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Yıldız Technical University | Most Popular Series Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | 3rd AyakliGazete.com Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Nominated |
| 2012 | Turkish Antalya Television Award | Best Drama Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Nominated |
| 2012 | Aydın University Istanbul | Most Popular Series Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Radikal Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Andy-Ar Awards | Best Actress of the Year | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2012 | Esenler 2012 Most Successful People Names | Best Actress of the Year | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | 11th Stars Award Ceremony | Most admired TV series Actress of 2012 | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | 20th İtü Emös Achievement Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | Turkish Antalya Television Award | Best Drama Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | Yıldız Technical University | Most Popular Series Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | 4th AyakliGazete.com Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2013 | Crystal Mouse Awards | Best Actress | Muhteşem Yüzyıl | Won |
| 2016 | 7th Beirut International Awards Festival | Best International Actress | Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz | Won |
| 2020 | Cana Dorada Film Festival | Best International Actress | Kovan | Won |
| 2020 | Chelsea Film Festival | Best Actress | Kovan | Won |