Tilbe Saran

Tilbe Saran — Biography

The daughter of anthropologist Nephan Saran and lawyer İsmail Hakkı Saran, Tilbe Saran was born in Istanbul in 1961. She attended Saint Benoit French High School before graduating from the Theatre Department of the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory in 1989 and later from Istanbul University's art history department. As a student she took the stage in Arzu Tramvayı at the Kenter Theatre, then began her professional career in Otel Paradiso at the Dormen Theatre; she married Rüstem Batum in 1985 and divorced him in 1992.

Between 1989 and 1995 she won awards for her work at the Istanbul City Theatre in productions such as Kral Lear, Vanya Dayı and Tartuffe, then in 1995 co-founded the Aksanat Production Theatre with Cüneyt Türel and Işıl Kasapoğlu, taking leading roles in seven of its plays; she went on to work with Aysa Production Theatre, Semaver Kumpanya and Tiyatro Pera. Her role in Vanya, Sonya, Masha and Spike brought her three separate awards in 2017, and her performance in the film Zenne (2011) won her Best Supporting Actress at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

She served as general secretary of the Actors' Union from 2014 to 2017 and has taught at Kadir Has University since 2006. Known on screen for Beş Vakit, Çekmeceler, Bergen and Sıcak Kafa, she received an Honorary Award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 2026.