Elif Sümbül Sert

Elif Sümbül Sert was born on 27 February 1982 in Balıkesir. Both her parents were teachers; they divorced while she was still a child, and she stayed with her mother. She received her primary and secondary education in Balıkesir. Her interest in theatre began at an early age: from 1994 to 1996 she took theatre courses at the Ahmet Vefik Paşa Bursa State Theatre. From 2000 to 2005 she earned her degree from the theatre department of the State Conservatory at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, and also completed a biomechanical acting workshop under Emin Gürsoy. She began her on-screen acting career in 2003 as a news presenter in the series "Lise Defteri." She appeared in the series "Aliye" (2005–2006, as Aynur), "Şöhret" (2006–2007, as Simge), "Emret Komutanım" (2006, as Fadime), "Binbir Gece" (2007–2008, as Emel), "Asi" (2008, as Demir Anne), "Doktorlar" (2010), "Küçük Sırlar" (2010), and "Her Şeye Rağmen Aşk" (2011, as Münevver). She starred in the TV films "Hemşire" (ATV, lead role) and "Karboğazlı Hatice" (Kanal 7, lead role), as well as in the feature film "Sözün Bittiği Yer" (as teacher Ülker). She gained wide recognition for the role of Sütlü Nuriye in the series "Çalıkuşu" (2013) — for which she lost 33 kg, going from 85 kg to around 50 kg. She also appeared in the series "Kadim Dostum," "Azim Kahramanı Ayşe," and "Bir Kadın Tanıdım." In 2014 she took on the role of Amanda in the series "Diriliş: Ertuğrul" (Resurrection: Ertuğrul), which brought her particular popularity among Arabic-speaking audiences. Besides acting, she works as an instructor: she teaches Creative Drama at İsmail Tarman Elementary School and gives drama classes for adults at Tiyatro-Z. She is the founder and head of the casting agency "If Cast Ajans." Her additional skills include swimming, an A2 and B driving license, English (intermediate), German (basic), folk dance, fencing, singing, dubbing, hosting, and animation. She married in 2006; the marriage lasted 6 years, ending in divorce in 2012. The couple had two daughters: Tutku (born 2008) and Peri (born 2010).