Deniz Akdeniz

Akdeniz is of Turkish descent. His parents hail from Izmir, Turkey^[1] and when the family emigrated to Australia, they enrolled his older brother in drama classes to help him integrate socially. Akdeniz followed his brother's lead^[2] and began performing at the age of eight. He developed his performance skills at The Australian Film and Television Academy (TAFTA), NIDA, St Martins Youth Theatre, and with Bruce Alexander at Melbourne Acting Studio. He made his professional debut in a 2007 production of Angels with Dirty Faces.^[3] He was discovered while he was with the Victorian Youth Theatre.^[4]

Prior to acting, Akdeniz trained and competed professionally in mixed martial arts.^[5] He is a Victorian Jiujitsu champion.

Akdeniz's first role was in the Australian film Puppy in 2005. He followed this with a role as Raff on the Disney television series As the Bell Rings from 2007 to 2009.

He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2010 Inside Film Awards for his role as Homer in the film Tomorrow, When the War Began.

In 2014 Akdeniz appeared in I, Frankenstein, and The Water Diviner.

He played a recurring role as Aladdin in season six of the ABC television series Once Upon a Time from 2016 to 2017, and as Robb Wellens on season three of Siren in 2020.

Beginning in 2022 Akdeniz played Max in seasons 1 and 2 of the HBO Max comedic thriller The Flight Attendant.

He appeared in 2022 Australian–American co-production Interceptor, and in 2023 films You Hurt My Feelings and Dumb Money.

He currently plays Lev 'Oz' Ozdil on television series High Potential.

Akdeniz married his long term partner, American actress Riley Dandy, in 2024. ^[6]

He is now based in Los Angeles.