Background and career
Serenay Sarıkaya (Turkish pronunciation: [seɾeˌnaj saˈɾɯkaja]; born 1 July 1992) is a Turkish actress, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. She is known from the TV series Adanalı, Lale Devri, Medcezir, and Aile. She rose to international prominence with her roles in the series Fi and Şahmaran.
Sarıkaya graduated from the theatre department of Ataşehir Adıgüzel Fine Arts High School in Istanbul. At the age of 14, she made her acting debut, with a minor part in the movie Şaşkın (2006), followed up with a part in Plajda (2008). Her first leading role was in the fantasy children's series Peri Masalı (2008). Her breakthrough role was that of Sofia in the crime comedy series Adanalı (2008–2010).
With Nejat İşler, she has appeared in the films Behzat Ç. Ankara Yanıyor and İkimizin Yerine. Since 2019, Sarıkaya performs in Alice Müzikali, a musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. She has received critical acclaim and won numerous accolades, including two Golden Butterfly Awards.
At the age of 15, she participated in a beauty pageant and received a special award from the jury at the European Youth Beauty Competition. Later, she became the first runner-up at Miss Turkey 2010. In addition to her acting career, she has appeared in various advertisements and is the face of numerous brands. In 2014, she was chosen as Woman of the Year by GQ Turkey.
