Biography
Who is Serenay Sarıkaya?
Early life and education
Born in Ankara, Turkey, on July 1, 1992, Serenay Sarıkaya lived there until age seven. She moved to Istanbul with her mother following her parents' separation. She graduated from the theatre department of the Ataşehir Adıgüzel Fine Arts High School. She did not attend university. During her youth, she enjoyed playing volleyball and basketball, alongside interests in tennis and Latin dance.
Career beginnings and beauty pageants
At age 15, she competed in the European Junior Beauty Contest held in Czechia and won a special jury prize. She later participated in the Miss Turkey 2010 competition, where she placed as the first runner-up. Although she earned the right to represent her country at Miss Universe, she declined the opportunity to focus on her acting career instead.
Her acting debut occurred at age 14 with a minor role in the film Şaşkın. She followed this with a role in the movie Plajda. Her first lead television role was in the children's fantasy series Peri Masalı. She also acted in the series Limon Ağacı, though her character was removed after the tenth episode.
Rise to fame in television
Serenay Sarıkaya achieved her breakthrough with the crime comedy series Adanalı, running from 2008 to 2010. Critics praised her performance for her specific Greek-Adana accent. Following this, she joined the cast of Lale Devri. During her time on that show, she sang a song that drew attention and sparked offers to record an album, though she remained focused on acting.
She later starred in the series Medcezir, which was based on the American show The O.C. She played the character Mira Beylice. In 2017, she took a leading role in the show Fi, one of the first major Turkish television productions streamed online by puhutv.
Film and theatre work
She has appeared in several films, including Behzat Ç. Ankara Yanıyor and İkimizin Yerine, starring alongside Nejat İşler. In 2019, she began performing in Alice Müzikali, a theatrical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. The show saw multiple seasons and returned to the stage in 2022 following a pandemic-related break. She was cast to portray the singer Belgin Sarılmışer in the biographical film Bergen, but she eventually left the project due to pandemic-related complications and other factors.
Outside of acting, she has worked as the face of numerous brands. In 2014, GQ Turkey named her Woman of the Year. She also signed a two-year contract as the face of Mavi Jeans, appearing in campaigns with models like Francisco Lachowski and Barbara Palvin. She also filmed a commercial for Elidor alongside Hazar Ergüçlü. In 2017, she became the brand ambassador for Head & Shoulders, working on awareness campaigns. In 2021, she became the first Turkish brand ambassador for Bulgari.
Birthday and age
Serenay Sarıkaya was born on July 1, 1992, which makes Serenay 34 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Serenay shares the date with 40 other famous people.
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