Engin Öztürk

Öztürk was born on 28 September 1986 in Eskişehir. His family are descendants of Turkish immigrants displaced by Balkan conflicts and population exchanges who moved to Türkiye. His paternal side is of Turkish origin and emigrated from Bulgaria, while his maternal side consists of Ottoman Turks from Thessaloniki, which was then part of Rumelia, which is now Greece.^[2][1]

After graduating from Eskişehir Fatih Anatolian High School,^[3] Öztürk played volleyball for eight years. His father served in the Turkish army, and Öztürk initially followed in his footsteps by enrolling at the Izmir Air Astsubay Vocational High School, from which he graduated in 2005. However, he later decided to leave the military path and instead pursued a degree in theatre at Hacettepe University.^[4]

Öztürk left the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) in 2006 due to incompatibility with military service. He then moved to Ankara and enrolled at the Hacettepe University State Conservatory, graduating from the Department of Theatre in 2012.

During his student years, he worked as a bartender at the bar owned by actor Erdal Beşikçioğlu. In 2010, Öztürk made his television debut as Selim Yaşaran in the popular series Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne?. He went on to appear in the hit crime drama Behzat Ç. Bir Ankara Polisiyesi.^[5] In 2013, he portrayed Sultan Selim II in the historical drama series Muhteşem Yüzyıl.^[5] Although he did not act in the romantic dramas İffet and Bir Aşk Hikayesi, he contributed to the projects as their editor.

Today, Öztürk is a highly popular and well-established actor. He is also recognized as one of the most handsome Turkish actors, ranking seventh on various lists.