Burak Deniz

Burak Deniz (born 17 February 1991) is a Turkish actor and model who works in Turkish television series and films. He is known for his portrayal of Murat Sarsılmaz in the popular rom-com series Aşk Laftan Anlamaz (2016–17), and later as Barış Aktan in drama series Bizim Hikaye. In 2020, he played Mehmet Kadir Bilmez in crime series Yarım Kalan Aşklar.

In 2021, he went on to appear as Celal Kün in hit series Maraşlı, followed by playing Asaf in Disney+ series The Ignorant Angels (2022) and Maran in the Netflix surreal series Şahmaran (2023). Deniz is also known for playing Ozan in the films Arada (2018) and Semih in Netflix original Kal (2022). Deniz is also known for portraying Kenan Öztürk in Bambaşka Biri.

Early life
Burak Deniz was born on 17 February 1991, in Istanbul, and grew up in İzmit. He graduated from İzmit 50 Yıl Cumhuriyet Primary School, and then from Gazi High School. He studied History of Art at the Çanakkale 18 Mart University. In the acting workshop he went to while he was still in high school, he was discovered by the casting director Gökçe Doruk Erten who helped him start his career.

Early beginnings (2011–2015)
Deniz began his career with the series Kolej Günlüğü, where he played the role of Onur. In 2012, he starred as Tarık in the series Sultan. In 2013, he portrayed Burak Topçuoğlu in the series Kaçak. In 2015, Deniz essayed Aras in the series Medcezir. It is an adaptation of the American television series The O.C..

In 2015, Deniz starred as Toprak in TV series Tatlı Küçük Yalancılar which is inspired by American TV show Pretty Little Liars. It also co-starred Şükrü Özyıldız, Bensu Soral, Büşra Develi, Melisa Şenolsun, Dilan Çiçek Deniz and Beste Kökdemir. In 2016, he starred as Mert in the series Gecenin Kraliçesi alongside Meryem Uzerli and Murat Yıldırım.

Aşk Laftan Anlamaz and rise to fame (2016–2019)
From 2016 to 2017, he played Murat Sarsılmaz opposite Hande Erçel in the rom-com series Aşk Laftan Anlamaz. Set in Istanbul, it follows a workplace romance at a multinational fashion company, Sarte. Deniz's character, Murat is the crown prince of the textile empire. The series became an international phenomenon and won the leading duo several awards.

In 2017, he starred as Barış Aktan alongside Hazal Kaya in the series Bizim Hikaye. It is an adaptation of the UK series, Shameless. In 2018, he made his film debut with Arada, which is about a punk singer wanting to leave Turkey who ends up in a nightmarish, hallucinatory trip through Istanbul.

Variation, web series, and more (2020–present)
In 2020, Deniz starred as Kadir Bilmez in the web series Yarım Kalan Aşklar opposite Dilan Çiçek Deniz. It revolves around a journalist named Ozan who loses his life in an accident, only to get resurrected in a new body. He then starred as Celal "Maraşlı" Kün in the series Maraşlı opposite Alina Boz.

In 2023, Deniz reunited with Erçel for the crime drama series Bambaşka Biri. He portrayed Kenan Öztürk, a popular journalist grappling with dissociative personality disorder. His alter-ego Doğan Kaya is an avenging murderer. The series topped commercial demographics and became most watched in all categories.