Biography
Who is Meryem Uzerli?
Early life and family background
Meryem Uzerli was born in Kassel, Turkey, on August 12, 1983. Her father, Hüseyin, is from Turkey and her mother, Ursula, is German. Her mother managed a university examination office while her father worked as a lecturer in social pedagogy. Meryem grew up attending a local Waldorf school.
She has two older brothers and a sister named Canan, who works as a jazz musician. Due to her father's background, she holds dual Turkish-German citizenship. Her maternal great-grandmother was from Croatia.
Breakthrough with Muhteşem Yüzyıl
The actor gained big attention for her portrayal of Hürrem Sultan in the historical television drama Muhteşem Yüzyıl. The casting process lasted eight months before she was selected by screenwriter Meral Okay and producer Timur Savcı in 2010. She moved to Istanbul for the role, living in a hotel for two years during production.
She acted alongside Halit Ergenç, Okan Yalabık, and Nebahat Çehre. In 2012, she received the Golden Butterfly Award for Best Actress. She departed the series in 2013 citing health concerns, specifically exhaustion, and Vahide Perçin assumed the role for later episodes.
Television and film career
After her time on the historical drama, Meryem signed a production contract with O3, part of the MBC Group, in 2014. She starred in Gecenin Kraliçesi alongside Murat Yıldırım, which filmed scenes in Cannes and Rize. The show aired on Star TV starting in 2016. She also appeared in the film Annemin Yarası that same year, working with Ozan Güven and Belçim Bilgin.
Other film credits include Cingöz Recai and Öteki Taraf. She appeared as a guest on Eşkiya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz between 2016 and 2017. In 2019, she auditioned for the Netflix original series Dark. She also led the cast of the film Kovan, where she donated her proceeds to the Ahbap foundation.
Modeling and recent projects
Recent years have seen Meryem continue her work on digital and network platforms. She starred as Reyan in the show RU, which premiered on the Turkish platform GAİN in 2024. In 2025, she appeared as a guest star in the Turkish series Sakir Pasa Ailesi: Mucizeler ve Skandallar.
Beyond television and film, she works as a model for brands like Blue Diamond, Maison Novague, and Morlin Bron eyewear. She has also served as the face of Faberlic and Trendyol Arabia. In 2025, she appeared in a limited series titled Antalya Gambit, which served as promotional material for the tourism brand Go Türkiye.
Birthday and age
Meryem Uzerli was born on August 12, 1983, which makes Meryem 43 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Meryem shares the date with 25 other famous people.
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