Mert Yazıcıoğlu

Mert Yazıcıoğlu — Biography

Mert Yazıcıoğlu is one of the younger actors to have made a mark on Turkish television, first as Baran in Karagül and later through Aşk 101 and Kızıl Goncalar. His portrayal of Cüneyd Güneş in Kızıl Goncalar won him Best Actor at the 50th Golden Butterfly Awards and GQ's Men of the Year actor award. He now plays Orhan Gazi in Kuruluş: Orhan.

Raised in Istanbul, Yazıcıoğlu left his business studies at Istanbul Aydın University to concentrate on acting. A visit to a friend's series set started him on that path; he joined the Cast 33 agency and then trained with Ümit Çırak at the 3 Mota acting workshop. His first steps on camera were a short scene in the film Dedemin İnsanları and a small part in Kayıp Şehir. He reached a wide audience from 2013 as Baran Şamverdi in Karagül, which ran until 2016. He then played Fırat in Umuda Kelepçe Vurulmaz and Korkut in Mehmed: Bir Cihan Fatihi; in 2018 he took the lead in the esports-themed film İyi Oyun and played Mahir Yetkin in Bir Litre Gözyaşı.

As Sinan in Netflix's Aşk 101 he found an audience beyond Turkey, and the performance earned him the Ayaklı Gazete award for best male actor in a digital series. He went on to appear in Exxen's Ölüm Zamanı and in Darmaduman (as Kerem Servet). In 2026 his new series Kalbimin Rotası Karadeniz, with Cemre Baysel, drew attention as his latest project.