Meryem Uzerli

Meryem Uzerli is a German-Turkish actress who became world-famous as Hürrem Sultan in Magnificent Century (Muhteşem Yüzyıl). She was born on 12 August 1982 to a Turkish father and a German mother and grew up in Kassel, where she attended a Waldorf school. She holds both Turkish and German citizenship.

Early career in Germany

Uzerli started with small parts in German productions, including the series Notruf Hafenkante and Ein Fall für zwei (2010), and the films Journey of No Return and Jetzt aber Ballett (2010).

Hürrem Sultan

At the end of 2010, after an eight-month search, screenwriter Meral Okay and producer Timur Savcı chose her to play Hürrem, the slave girl who became the powerful wife of Sultan Süleyman, in Magnificent Century. She moved to Istanbul and lived in a hotel for two years during filming, starring alongside Halit Ergenç, Okan Yalabık and Nebahat Çehre. The role made her one of the most recognised faces in the Middle East, the Balkans and beyond, and won her two Golden Butterfly Awards.

Later work

After leaving the series in 2013, she continued her career in Turkish and German productions, including the film Kovan (2018), the series Gecenin Kraliçesi with Burak Deniz and the drama RU (2024).

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