Halit Ergenç is a renowned Turkish actor born on April 30, 1970, in Istanbul. His father, Sait Ergenç, was a prominent actor in the Yesilçam era. Halit completed his secondary education at Besiktas Atatürk High School in 1989 and later enrolled in Istanbul Technical University to study Marine Engineering. However, he pursued his passion for acting and graduated from the Operetta and Musical Theatre Departments of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University.
Before his acting career took off, Halit worked as a computer operator, marketer, and even a backing vocalist and dancer for Ajda Pekkan and Leman Sam. He made his acting debut in 1996 at the Dormen Theatre and had his first leading role in the musical The King and I.
Halit's breakthrough in television came with his role in the series Kara Melek, followed by appearances in various plays, including Kiss Me, Kate, Tatli Charity, Beni Seviyor, Kral ve Ben, Amphitrion 2000, Evita, Hayalet, and Ötekiler. He also appeared in the series Köse Kapmaca and Böyle mi Olacakti before heading to New York to act in the musical The Adventures of Zak.
In 2000, Halit participated in the films Hiç Yoktan Ask and Ölümün El Yazisi, followed by the series Dedem, Gofret ve Ben and Zerda, where he starred opposite Ece Uslu. He then had roles in various plays, including Bugün Git Yarin Gel, Popcorn, Arapsaçi, and Sevgilime Göz Kulak Ol.
In 2004, Halit starred in the series Aliye with Sanem Çelik and Nejat Isler. He later appeared in the films Babam ve Oglum, The Net 2.0, Tramway, and Ilk Ask. Beginning in 2006, he played the role of Onur Aksal in the hit series Binbir Gece, which ran until 2009.
During this period, Halit also appeared in the films Devrim Arabalari and Aci Ask. He starred as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the film Dersimiz Atatürk, where makeup artists transformed his face into the historical figure. In 2011, he starred as Suleiman the Magnificent in the hit series Muhtesem Yüzyil, which ran until 2014.
Halit was involved in the Gezi protests of 2013, appearing in newspaper photos wearing a Bob Marley T-shirt and surgical mask for protection against tear gas. He was subsequently summoned with other cultural leaders to a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
After Muhtesem Yüzyil, Halit played Fatali Khan Khoyski, the first Prime Minister of the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, in the film Ali & Nino. He also appeared in the movie Istanbul Kirmizisi, directed by Ferzan Özpetek. In 2016, he started playing opposite his wife Bergüzar Korel in Vatanim Sensin.
Halit's mother was of Albanian descent. He is married to actress Bergüzar Korel and has a son named Ali. He has stated that he likes Zeki Demirkubuz's style and Ferzan Özpetek's emotion, but prefers to work with Reha Erdem and Çagan Irmak, whom he describes as both young and talented directors.
In 2017, Halit visited Pakistan and attended the Lux Style Awards, where he was honoured with the International Icon award due to his popularity in the country. In his accepting speech, Halit said that he had grown up knowing Pakistan as a "brother country."
