Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent

Halit Ergenç, the actor who has played the lead role of Sultan Suleiman in the Turkish opera soap series known as “Mera Sultan” in Pakistan.

Halit was born in an actor’s family in April 30, 1970, Turkey, Istanbul. His father, Sait Ergenç, is a famous Turkish actor and singer. Halit studied marine engineering from Istanbul Technical University but left it after a year to get admission in Mimar Sinan University for opera. While he was studying opera, he got a chance to work a little as back vocalist and as a dancer. He got his first leading role in the musical act “The King and I” in 1996 at the Dorman Theater. He also got many other dramas in the theater such as, Kiss Me, Kate, Tatlı Charity, Beni Seviyor, Kral ve Ben, Amphitrion 2000, Evita, Hayalet and Ötekiler and Şarkılar Susarsa. Then he went to New York and acted in the musical The Adventures of Zak, from where his career in movies started. And it is worth mentioning that Halit has also starred as Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – the founder of Turkish Republic, in the film Dersimiz Atatürk. The, the role of Sultan Suleiman is the big hit up till now. The series has dubbed in many languages and got fame around the world, especially Arab countries. He has huge international fan following.

Halit got married twice, his first wife, Soysaldi Gizem, took divorce after a few months. He married Bergüzar Korel in 2009, said to be one of the most beautiful actresses of Turkey. It was a love marriage, of course. The couple worked together in a movie and developed mutual feeling for each other. They welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Ali, in February 2010.

Talking about his wife, in an interview with AL HAYAT CHANNEL, 3rd June, 2013, he said: “To talk about her … here is a bit difficult. She is a very sensitive woman. She has a lot childish aspects and a very energetic power. But her heart breaks quickly. She does get angry easily from everything. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that she loves quarrelling. She is so smooth. I see her filled with love. I feel that I get my energy from that high energy of her. I don’t know, but this is how I feel.”

He defined himself as a very calm person, who doesn’t get nervous easily. “I don’t talk nonsense neither do I like to exaggerate things, I try to be in an atmosphere with low stress because this affects the whole work”.

“I am sensitive as the Sultan, but I don’t write poems as he did. He wrote 4000 love poems. I, now see the light as the Sultan saw it. I, now see poetry as the Sultan saw it. So my feelings towards things changed.”

“I know people watch me in the Arab world. I thank all who dubbed this series from actors and technicians. I heard the dubbing; I liked their acting which they presented. I am satisfied that this series succeeded in the Arab countries as it succeeded in Turkey,” Halit says.

“This is because of the effort exerted and the feelings put by the actors and the technicians who worked in this series. We weren’t able to deliver our ideas in Turkish, but the voices which dubbed my role and the other roles as well made me so close to all of you. So thanks to all of you.”