Erol Sander

Erol Sander — Biography

Erol Sander is one of the best-known Turkish-origin actors on German television, closely identified with roles as a Turkish police commissioner. Born Urçun Salihoğlu, he took his stage name from Errol Flynn and the fashion designer Jil Sander because he found his birth name too hard for German speakers. The crime series Sinan Toprak ist der Unbestechliche and Mordkommission Istanbul brought him a wide audience in Germany. He has been honoured with a German-Turkish friendship prize.

He came to Munich with his family in 1973 at the age of four, grew up around the Chiemsee in Bavaria and studied politics and economics. In 1992 he went to Paris and modelled for seven years, working for brands such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Dior and paying for his acting training with the income. In 1999 he made his screen debut as Commissioner Sinan Toprak in the pilot of Sinan Toprak ist der Unbestechliche. Playing the deposed Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, in Für immer verloren (2002) brought him recognition across Europe; he also appeared in Die Apokalypse. In 2004 he took a supporting role in Oliver Stone's Alexander (Büyük İskender).

In the years that followed he worked mostly in German television films: Andersrum (2005), Dr. Daniel Guth in Die Alpenklinik (2006), Pompeji and Tatort: Familienaufstellung (2009). From 2008 he played Commissioner Mehmet Özakin in Mordkommission Istanbul, which ran until 2021. He played Richard Sterling in The Way You Die (2014) and appeared in the soap Alles was zählt in 2021-2022.