Hande Erçel

She was born in 1993 in Bandırma, she is the daughter of Aylin (who died from cancer in 2019) and her father Kaya Erçel and has an older sister, Gamze.^[2][3] She studied at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in the Department of Traditional Turkish Arts.^[4][5] In 2012, she participated in a beauty pageant held in Azerbaijan, where she placed second.^[6][7]

Between 2015 and 2016, she portrayed the character Selin Yılmaz Mertoğlu in the television series Güneşin Kızları, aired on Kanal D.^[8] Subsequently, from 2016 to 2017, she played the role of Hayat Uzun in the series Aşk Laftan Anlamaz, broadcast on Show TV.^[9] Her performance in this series earned her the Best Female Comedy Actress award at the Golden Butterfly Awards.^[10]

In 2019, she appeared as Müjde Akay in the series Halka on TRT 1^[11] and as Azize Aksu Günay in the series Azize on Kanal D.^[12] From 2020 to 2021, she portrayed Eda Yıldız in the series Sen Çal Kapımı, aired on Fox.^[13][14] Most recently, from 2023 to 2024, she played Leyla Gediz in the series Bambaşka Biri, also broadcast on Fox.^[15]

Erçel was the face of personal care brand L'Oréal Turkey and the oral care brand Signal.^[16][17][18] In 2017, she was selected as the face of DeFacto's 2017-2018 Fall collection campaign called "Velvet".^[19] In 2020, she was named global ambassador for clothing brand Nocturne and headlined multiple campaigns for the brand.^[20] In 2025, after years of collaborating, the brand launched a collection designed by Erçel named "Inspired By Her".^[21] In December 2021, Erçel was selected as the newest face of renowned Turkish jewelry brand Atasay Jewellery.^[22]

In May 2022, Disney+ picked her as its new ambassador.^[23] In August 2023, she become the face of Saudi perfume house Laverne's "Miss Laverne".^[24] In that year, she was also named the new face of deodorant brand Emotion^[25] and become the newest ambassador for ice cream brand Magnum, attending the Cannes Film Festival as the advertising model of the brand.^[26] In April 2025, Italian luxury jewelry brand Pomellato announced Erçel as its new global brand ambassador.^[27][28]

Erçel is among the highest-paid actresses in Turkey and is the most-followed Turkish actress on Instagram.^[29][30] She was the only Turkish actress to be featured on IMDb's World's Most Beautiful Actresses list.^[31][32] Fillgab, a global website, ranked her first on its "10 Most Beautiful Muslim Women in The World" list.^[33] Erçel is the first and only Turkish actor to appear on the cover of Marie Claire Spain, The Hollywood Magazine and Grazia.^[34][35] The Hollywood Magazine called her "one of the most influential public figures in Turkey and the wider region" and "producers are calling her “the next Penélope Cruz meets Zendaya” — a rare blend of grace, cultural depth, and magnetic screen presence."^[36] She appeared on other magazines such as Vogue Turkey, Vogue Arabia, Elle Turkey, HELLO Turkey, Harper Bazaar Turkey and InStyle Turkey to promote various brands.^[37][38][39]

On 10 January 2019 Erçel's mother, Aylin Erçel, who had been receiving cancer treatment, died in the hospital.^[40]