Farah Zeynep Abdullah

Farah Zeynep Abdullah was born on 17 August 1989, in Beşiktaş, Istanbul.[1] Her maternal grandfather is Turkish from Erzincan, while her grandmother is of Bosnian descent.[2] Her maternal family also has Macedonian and Crimean origins.[3] Her father, Osman, is of Iraqi Turkmen ancestry.[4] Due to war, he immigrated to Turkey as a child, but still completed his military service in Iraq.[5] Her paternal grandmother is originally from Pljevlja, Montenegro.[6] Abdullah has two brothers. Her secondary education was spent at the Lycée Français Saint-Michel in Istanbul until her family moved to London due to her father's job.[7]

Abdullah and Birkan Sokullu on the set of Masumlar Apartmanı

In 2010, during her studies at the University of Kent, Abdullah was offered a role in the melodrama Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki,[8] for which she completed 2 seasons and 79 episodes. The series also won her a Best Supporting Actress award at the Antalya Television Awards in 2011.

In 2013, she appeared in Yılmaz Erdoğan's film Kelebeğin Rüyası ("The Butterfly's Dream") with Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ. It was selected by the Minister of Culture and Tourism as Turkey's candidate for the 2014's Academy Awards.[9][10] For the role, Abdullah won the trophy for Best Supporting Actress at the 18th Sadri Alışık Cinema and Theatre Awards and Siyad Awards.

In 2014, she appeared in the film Bi Küçük Eylül Meselesi ("A Small September Affair") with Engin Akyürek. She then worked for the second time alongside Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ in the period drama Kurt Seyit ve Şura. Abdullah later starred in director Çağan Irmak's musical romance film Unutursam Fisilda ("Whisper If I Forget"). The role brought her multiple awards as she stunned audiences with her acting and singing skills.

In 2015, she voiced Princess Courtney in the Turkish version of Barbie in Rock 'N Royals. Later that year Abdullah completed Ekşi Elmalar ("Sour Apples"), her second project with director Yılmaz Erdoğan. The film was released on 28 October 2016 in Turkey and in early November in Europe.

In late July 2016, rumours of Abdullah joining the hit series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem ("Magnificent Century: Kösem") surfaced on social media. A few days later, it was confirmed that she had joined the series in the role of Hungarian princess Farya Bethlen.

In 2018 she played famous singer Ajda Pekkan in the fantasy comedy film Arif V 216, where she sang Pekkan's songs "Milyonzade" and "Boşvermişim Dünyaya". Abdullah then starred in the series Gülizar and the film Bizim İçin: Şampiyon ("For Us: Champion"), which tells the life story of jockey Halis Karataş.[11][12][13]

Between 2020 and 2021, she played Inci in Masumlar Apartmanı ("Apartment of the Innocents"), one of the highest rated series of the season.

In 2022, Abdullah starred in the biographical film Bergen which became the 8th highest-grossing film of all time in turkey gaining over 160 million tl. She won Siyad Award for Best Actress for her role as Bergen.

In 2023, Abdullah announced she will be starring in the Netflix movie Bihter, of which she is also the creative producer, an adaption of the well-known novel in the 1900s Aşk-ı Memnu.

She is known for her opinionated views on twitter. Major interactions include those with the journalist Birsen Altuntas, and prominent political figures. In March 2023, Abdullah was sentenced to pay a fine of 1.300 TL for insulting the ex sergeant who was sentenced for having raped Ipek Er.[14]

2023 55th Cinema Writers Association Award Best Actress Bergen Won

• Farah Zeynep Abdullah at IMDb
• Farah Zeynep Abdullah on TurkishStarsDaily