FARAH ZEYNEP ABDULLAH
Farah Zeynep Abdullah (born 17 August 1989) is a Turkish actress and singer. She garnered critical acclaim and nationwide recognition for her movies and TV series. She is the recipient of 2 Siyad Awards, the most prestigious film awards in Turkey.
Farah Zeynep Abdullah was born on 17 August 1989, in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. Her maternal grandfather is Turkish from Erzincan, while her grandmother is of Bosnian descent. Her maternal family also has Macedonian and Crimean origins. Her father, Osman, is of Iraqi Turkmen ancestry. Due to war, he immigrated to Turkey as a child, but still completed his military service in Iraq. Her paternal grandmother is originally from Pljevlja, Montenegro. Abdullah has two brothers. Her secondary education was spent at the Lycée Français Saint-Michel in Istanbul until her family moved to London due to her father’s job.
In 2010, during her studies at the University of Kent, Abdullah was offered a role in the melodrama Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki, for which she completed 2 seasons and 79 episodes. The series also won her a Best Supporting Actress award at the Antalya Television Awards in 2011.
She then worked for the second time alongside Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ in the period drama Kurt Seyit ve Şura.
In late July 2016, rumours of Abdullah joining the hit series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem (“Magnificent Century: Kösem”) surfaced on social media. A few days later, it was confirmed that she had joined the series in the role of Hungarian princess Farya Bethlen.
Abdullah then starred as singer in the series Gülizar. Between 2020 and 2021, she worked alongside Birkan Sokullu in Masumlar Apartmanı (“Apartment of the Innocents”), which is adapted from a novel by Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu.
In 2013, she appeared in Yılmaz Erdoğan’s film Kelebeğin Rüyası (“The Butterfly’s Dream”) with Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ. It was selected by the Minister of Culture and Tourism as Turkey’s candidate for the 2014’s Academy Awards. For the role, Abdullah won the trophy for Best Supporting Actress at the 18th Sadri Alışık Cinema and Theatre Awards.
In 2014, she appeared in the film Bi Küçük Eylül Meselesi (“A Small September Affair”) with Engin Akyürek. Abdullah later starred in director Çağan Irmak’s musical romance film Unutursam Fisilda (“Whisper If I Forget”). The role brought her multiple awards as she stunned audiences with her acting and singing skills.
In 2015, she voiced Princess Courtney in the Turkish version of Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals. Later that year Abdullah completed Ekşi Elmalar (“Sour Apples”), her second project with director Yılmaz Erdoğan. The film was released on 28 October 2016 in Turkey and in early November in Europe.
In 2018 she played famous singer Ajda Pekkan in the fantasy comedy film Arif V 216, where she sang Pekkan’s songs “Milyonzade” and “Boşvermişim Dünyaya”. Abdullah then starred in the film Bizim İçin: Şampiyon (“For Us: Champion”), which tells the life story of jockey Halis Karataş.
In 2022, Abdullah starred in the biographical film Bergen which became the highest-grossing film of all time in turkey gaining over 160 million tl.
In 2023, Abdullah announced she will be starring in a new film called Bihter, the new adaption of the well-known novel in the 1900s Aşk-ı Memnu.
She is known for her opinionated views on twitter. Major interactions include those with the journalist Birsen Altuntas, and prominent political figures. In March 2023, Abdallah was sentenced to pay a fine of 1.300 TL for insulting the sergeant who was sentenced for having raped Ipek Er.