Mert Fırat

Mert Fırat — Biography

Şahabettin Mert Fırat was born on 10 January 1981 in Ankara. Of Arab descent on his father's side, with roots in Antakya, and of Caucasian descent on his mother's side, he took part in school theatre from an early age. After a period in Sweden studying radio and television, he returned to Ankara and graduated from the Theatre Department of Ankara University's Faculty of Languages, History and Geography.

In 2006 he won the audition for Oyun Atölyesi's production of The Taming of the Shrew and moved to Istanbul. He made his television debut in Bizim Evin Halleri and gained recognition through series such as Binbir Gece, Yersiz Yurtsuz and Kapalıçarşı. His breakthrough came in 2009 with Başka Dilde Aşk, which he co-wrote with İlksen Başarır and in which he played Onur; he then starred as Erdem in Atlıkarınca (2010), which he also scripted.

He went on to appear in Kelebeğin Rüyası (2013), İntikam (2013), Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş (2015), Ufak Tefek Cinayetler (2017), Arif V 216 (2018) and Kefaret (2020). A co-founder of the Moda Sahnesi and DasDas theatres, he is a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and launched the Needs Map solidarity platform. He married İdil Fırat in 2018.