Haluk Bilginer
Biography
Nihat Haluk Bilginer was born on June 5, 1954, in İzmir, Turkey. He is a Turkish actor who has worked in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Hollywood. He is best known for his role as Mehmet Osman in the television soap opera EastEnders during the 1980s. His film credits include playing a guerrilla leader in the 1987 comedy film Ishtar, a Turkish mafioso in the 2001 dark comedy film Buffalo Soldiers, and Doctor Sartain in the 2018 film Halloween. He also starred in the movie Kış Uykusu, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and played the lead in the 2023 television series The Turkish Detective. For his role in Şahsiyet in 2018, he won the Best Actor award at the 47th International Emmy Awards.
Career overview
Nihat Haluk Bilginer was born on June 5, 1954, in İzmir, Turkey. He is a Turkish actor who has pursued an acting career in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for his television soap opera role as Mehmet Osman in EastEnders during the 1980s. Alongside his television work, he has appeared as a minor actor in Hollywood films, including playing a villainous guerrilla leader in the 1987 comedy film Ishtar and a Turkish Mafioso in the 2001 dark comedy film Buffalo Soldiers.
His film and television career further expanded with roles in various projects. He starred in the 2018 television series Şahsiyet, for which he won the Best Actor award at the 47th International Emmy Awards. His other film credits noted in the sources include the movie Kis Uykusu, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as appearances in Karanlikta kosanlar and Tatli hayat. In 2018, he played Doctor Sartain in the film Halloween, and in 2023, he starred as the lead in the television series The Turkish Detective.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
98 titles- Yan Yana (2025) as Refik
- Lovers & Liars (2025) as Kadir
- The Eighth Family (2025)
- The Veil (2024) as Mr. Demir
- Maria (2024) as Aristotle Onassis
- The Turkish Detective (2023) as Çetin İkmen
- Baba (2022) as Emin Saruhanlı
- El-Gomgoma El-Sakhena (2022) as Haluk
- Wild Abandon (2022) as Berhudar
- Şeref Bey (2021) as Şeref
- Stuck Apart (2021) as Erbil
- Alex Rider (2020) as Dr. Greif
- Leyla Everlasting (2020) as Adem
- Noah Land (2019) as Ibrahim
- Halloween (2018) as Dr. Sartain
- Persona (2018) as Agâh Beyoğlu
- Cingöz Recai (2017) as Başkomiser Mehmet Rıza
- Innocent (2017) as Cevdet Bayrakçı
- The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017) as Khalil Bey
- Black Letter (2017) as Oğuz Karahan
- The Bank of Broken Hearts (2017) as Yusuf Yağmur
- Shelter (2017) as Ahmet
- Forget About Nick (2017) as Nick
- Trendy (2017) as Hasan
- The Last Schnitzel (2017) as The President
- Ben-Hur (2016) as Simonides
- Komedi Türkiye (2015)
- Winter Sleep (2014) as Aydın
- Rosewater (2014) as Baba Akbar
- A Long Cold Winter (2014)
- Evliya Çelebi ve Ölümsüzlük Suyu (2014) as Evliya Çelebi (voice)
- Kaçak (2013) as Faysal Mengen
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013) as Nazmi Kemal
- Hayatımın Rolü (2012) as Müşfik/Yaşar
- Acayip Hikayeler (2012) as Sinan (Gecenin Avcısı)
- Antonius and Cleopatra (2012) as Antonius
- W.E. (2011) as Al Fayed
- Çanakkale Çocukları (2011) as Kasim
- 7 (2011)
- 7 (2011) Translator
- İstanbul'un Altınları (2011) as Reşat Altın
- Five Minarets in New York (2010) as Hacı
- Cuma'ya Kalsa (2010) as Cuma
- Ezel (2009) as Kenan Birkan
- The International (2009) as Ahmet Sunay
- 7 Husbands for Hurmuz (2009) as Cebrail
- Sıkı Dostlar (2009) as Hikmet
- The Watercolor-Suluboya (2009)
- Nerede Kalmıştık (2008) as Ateş
- A Son of the Sun (2008) as Alper Canan
- Cars of the Revolution (2008) as Necip
- Sevgili Dünürüm (2007) as Ahmet
- Police (2007) as Musa Rami
- 15 Minutes Over Low Heat (2006) as Muhtar
- Killing the Shadows (2006) as Karagöz
- Yine de Aşığım (2005) as Ali
- Robbery Alla Turca (2005) as Seçkin Doruk
- Yes, Minister (2004) as Samim Bayraktar
- Where's Firuze? (2004) as Hayri Kalıpçı
- Disappeared (2004) as Inspector Yilmaz
- The Hittites: A Civilization that Changed the World (2003) as King Hattuþili III
- Spooks (2002) as Emre Celenk
- Buffalo Soldiers (2002) as The Turk
- Sweet Life (2001) as İhsan Yıldırım
- Cesur Kuşku (2001) as Cesur
- Running in the Dark (2001) as Ali
- YANLIŞ İÇERİK (2000)
- Eyvah Kızım Büyüdü (2000) as Sedat Çolak
- Beans (2000) as Bilge Dede
- Güle Güle (2000) as Zinnur
- Elephants and Grass (2000) as Sabit Üzücü
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert (1999) as Col. Ismet Bay
- Last Harem (1999) as Abdülhamit II
- Eyvah Babam (1998) as Sedat Çolak
- Nihavend Mucize (1997) as Erol
- Innocence (1997) as Bekir
- Sawdust Tales (1997) as Aaron
- The 80th Step (1996) as Savcı
- Istanbul Beneath My Wings (1996) as Evliya Çelebi
- Gülşen Abi (1994) as Abidin Özbidin / Gülşen Abla
- Sıcağı Sıcağına (1993) as Sunucu
- Son Söz Sevginin (1993)
- Amerikalı (1993)
- Borsa (1993) as Reha Çalık
- Two Women (1992)
- Laf Lafı Açıyor (1991)
- Cloud in Love (1991) as Atila
- Time of Death (1990) as Ömer
- Ishtar (1987) as Guerrilla leader
- Ateşten Günler (1987) as Ahmet Rıfkı
- Gecenin Öteki Yüzü (1987)
- Half Moon Street (1986) as First Arab
- EastEnders (1985) as Mehmet Osman
- Murder of a Moderate Man (1985)
- The Bill (1984)
- Bergerac (1981) as Ahmed
- The Strange Tale of Gustav Maier
- Beneath the Hagia Sophia as Narrator
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Haluk Bilginer best known for?
Haluk Bilginer is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Maria (2024), Alex Rider (2020), Halloween (2018), Cingöz Recai (2017).
When and where was Haluk Bilginer born?
Haluk Bilginer was born on June 5, 1954 in İzmir, Turkey.
How many credits does Haluk Bilginer have?
Haluk Bilginer has accumulated over 98 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1981 to 2025.
What is Haluk Bilginer's background in cinema and television?
Nihat Haluk Bilginer was born on June 5, 1954, in İzmir, Turkey. He is a Turkish actor who has worked in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Hollywood. He is best known for his role as Mehmet Osman in the television soap opera EastEnders during the 1980s. His film credits include playing a guerrilla leader in the 1987 come...