Erden Alkan

Erden Alkan — Biography

Erden Alkan, born on February 12, 1941, in Giresun, is a Turkish-German actor, playwright, and director who spent most of his career in Germany. After graduating from the prestigious Vefa High School in Istanbul, he studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Theatre School in Vienna; he holds both Turkish and German citizenship.

He entered the film industry around 1970 and acted in films such as Battal Gazi Destanı (1971) and Tophaneli Murat (1972) during the Yeşilçam era. He worked as a theater founder, writer, and director in Germany; he also appeared in German productions, taking roles in projects such as Evet, Evleniyorum! (2008) and Mordkommission Istanbul (2008).

He returned to Turkish television in 2004 with the series Mavi Rüya (Blue Dream); he also acted in Kollama, Gazi, Yalan Dünya (False World), and Gece Gündüz (Night and Day). In 2012, he portrayed Çandarlı Halil Pasha in the high-budget film Fetih 1453 (Conquest 1453); subsequently, he reached a wider audience with his portrayal of Candar Bey in TRT's phenomenal series Diriliş: Ertuğrul (Resurrection: Ertuğrul). Beyaz Balina (White Whale) (2017) and Deliler Fatih'in Fermanı (The Madmen: Fatih's Decree) (2018) are among his recent works.