Demet Özdemir

Early career (2013–2017)

Özdemir studied acting at Şahika Tekand Studio for two years (between 2011 and 2013).^[9]

Özdemir made her acting debut in the 2013 fantasy series Sana Bir Sır Vereceğim alongside Ekin Koç, playing the Aylin.^[10]

She later appeared as a supporting character, Ayla, in the historical series Kurt Seyit ve Şura (2014).^[11][12] She appeared as Demet in the movie Tut Sözünü.^[13] In 2015, she had her first leading role in the romantic comedy series Çilek Kokusu.

Between 2016 and 2017, she starred in No 309, one of her first long-running leading roles in a romantic comedy format. It ended on 25 October 2017 with 65 episodes.^[14][15]

In 2017 she played in the dance-comedy film Sen Kiminle Dans Ediyorsun written by Burak Aksak, writer of the hit surreal comedy Leyla ile Mecnun.^[16]

Breakthrough and international success (2018–2019)

From 2018 to 2019, Özdemir starred as Sanem Aydın in the romantic comedy series Erkenci Kuş, opposite Can Yaman.^[17] The role marked her breakthrough as a leading actress in Turkish television. The series was broadcast internationally and contributed to the wider distribution of Turkish television dramas.^[18] Her performance earned her several awards, including Best Actress award at Murex d'Or in Lebanon.^[19][20] The series achieved notable popularity in Italy, where it aired daily on the national broadcaster Canale 5 and was later scheduled in prime-time slots following its success.^[21][22]

She also performed the theme song "Günaydın" ("Good Morning"), composed by Cem Öget.^[23]

Transition to dramatic roles (2019-2021)

From 2019 to 2021, she played the lead role of Zeynep in the drama series Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir, which focused on themes of family and social issues.^[24] The series was directed by Çağrı Bayrak. The script was inspired by Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu's novel Camdaki Kız which is based on a true story.^[25]

Streaming projects (2022–2023)

In 2022, Özdemir starred in the Netflix romantic comedy film Love Tactics (Aşk Taktikleri ),^[26] which was released internationally. She played the lead role of Aslı Yıldırım alongside actor Şükrü Özyıldız. She also appeared in the internationally released Disney+ drama series Dunyayla Benim Aramda^[27] with Bugra Gülsoy, Hafsanur Sancaktutan, Zerrin Tekindor and Metin Akdülger.^[28] It follows the character of İlkin (Özdemir) who worries that the love of her life, a famous actor, is no longer in love with her.^[29] In 2023 the Netflix film Love tactics 2 (Aşk Taktikleri 2) was released as a sequel to Love Tactics.^[30]

Projects since 2023

In 2023, she starred in Adım Farah^[31] opposite to Engin Akyürek. Adım Farah is adaption of the award-winning Argentinian series La Chica Que Limpia.^[32] For her role as Farah, Özdemir was awarded the 2025 PRODU award for Best Actress in a Contemporary Non-Spanish Language Telenovela.^[33]

In 2024, she appeared in the film Cinlerin Düğünü. The film was directed by Ferit Karahan, known for the film Brother's Keeper (Okul Tıraşı).^[34][35]

Since March 2025, she has been portraying the lead character Nisan Akyol alongside Çağatay Ulusoy (Eşref Tek) in the TV series Eşref Rüya. The character Nisan Akyol is a singer and because of that Özdemir has performed several songs in the series, including "Aşiyan" (lyrics and composition by Afra, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli).^[36][37] Özdemir together with singer Afra released the song "Şimdi Böyle Biriymiş" (lyrics and composition by Afra, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli).^[38]

On 18 September 2025, Özdemir released a single "Ah Yar" by Tiizz Records^[39] with lyrics and music by Zeynep Melisa Gülen, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli. On 2 January 2026 Özdemir released a single "Gözü Kara" by Tiizz Records & Demet Özdemir with lyrics and music by Zeynep Melisa Gülen, arrangement by Bertin Yıldız and video by Meryem Baburoğlu. She performed the both songs as part of the soundtrack for Eşref Rüya.

International recognition

She received the Best Actress award at the 2019 Murex d’Or Awards for her role in Erkenci Kuş.^[19]

In September 2023 Özdemir participated in the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival^[40] where she received the Kinéo Award^[41] for Best International Actress for the series Kurt Seyit ve Şura, and the movies Love Tactics and Love Tactics 2.^[42][43]

In November 2024 Özdemir was awarded during the 8th Edition of the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards - DIAFA 2024 with an honorary award for her professional career as Best International Actress.^[44][45]

For her role as Farah, Özdemir was awarded the 2025 PRODU award for Best Actress in a Contemporary Non-Spanish Language Telenovela.^[33]