Banu Alkan

Banu Alkan — Biography

Born Liz Remka Rebronja on 1 April 1958 in Dubrovnik to a Bosniak family, Banu Alkan moved with her family to Edremit, in Turkey's Balıkesir province, in 1966 at the age of eight. After attending Kartal Maltepe High School, she made her screen debut in the 1976 film Taksi Şoförü (Taxi Driver).

She rose to prominence playing Melike in the 1977 film Akrep Yuvası and, through further roles such as Ben de Özledim (1981), became one of the most in-demand stars of the late Yeşilçam era, earning the nickname "Afrodit" ("Aphrodite") and recognition as one of Turkey's defining 1980s pop-culture icons. She later moved into television as well, appearing as herself on the 2017 program Dünya Güzellerim, and remains a well-known figure in Turkish entertainment media today.