At the Joy Awards 2026 in Riyadh, a host asked Tuba Büyüküstün to teach him a word of Arabic. She smiled and taught him a word of Turkish instead. The moment went viral across the Arab world, which was fitting: two decades earlier, dubbed Turkish dramas starring Büyüküstün had made her one of the most famous faces on Arab television.
She has spent the years since proving that fame was not a fluke. In 2014 she became the first Turkish actress nominated for an International Emmy. She has led some of the most exported series Turkey has made, and today a new generation knows her from Netflix’s Another Self, which ended its three-season run in June 2026. This is her story.
Who Is Tuba Büyüküstün?
Tuba Büyüküstün is a Turkish actress known for Ihlamurlar Altında, Asi, 20 Dakika, Kara Para Aşk and Netflix’s Another Self (Zeytin Ağacı). Her role in 20 Dakika earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 42nd International Emmy Awards, the first for a Turkish actress. She is a UNICEF Turkey Goodwill Ambassador.
How Old Is Tuba Büyüküstün?
Tuba Büyüküstün is 44 years old. She was born on 5 July 1982 in Istanbul.
Early Life and Education
Born Hatice Tuba Büyüküstün in Istanbul, she studied costume design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, graduating in 2004. She was discovered while still a student, appeared in a television advertisement in 2000 and moved into acting in the early 2000s. In 2004 her performance in the TV film Gülizar won her a Best Actress award at an international television festival in Serbia and Montenegro.
Career
Ihlamurlar Altında and Asi (2005 to 2009)
Her first big hits were the family dramas Çemberimde Gül Oya, Ihlamurlar Altında (2005 to 2006) and Asi (2007 to 2009), in which she played the headstrong daughter of an Antakya landowning family opposite Murat Yıldırım. When these series were dubbed into Arabic and broadcast across the Middle East, they turned her into one of the first Turkish actresses with a mass following outside Turkey.
20 Dakika and the International Emmy nomination (2013)
After Gönülçelen (2010 to 2011), she returned in the Star TV drama 20 Dakika (2013) as Melek, a young mother and pastry shop owner whose life collapses when she is wrongly convicted of murder and her husband sets out to free her. The role earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the 42nd International Emmy Awards in 2014, Turkey’s first nomination in the category.
Kara Para Aşk and Cesur ve Güzel (2014 to 2017)
In Kara Para Aşk (2014 to 2015) on atv she played jewellery designer Elif Denizer opposite Engin Akyürek, another series that sold widely abroad. She then co-starred with Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ in Star TV’s Cesur ve Güzel (2016 to 2017) and appeared in Ferzan Özpetek’s film Istanbul Kırmızısı (Red Istanbul, 2017).
Netflix and streaming (2020 to 2026)
She played Mara Branković in Netflix’s docudrama Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020) and joined Sefirin Kızı on Star TV in 2021. Her biggest streaming role came in Another Self (Zeytin Ağacı), the Netflix series about three friends who go to Ayvalık and confront their family histories, in which she plays Ada. It ran for three seasons from 2022. In 2024 she reunited with Halit Ergenç in Yarın Yokmuş Gibi, a miniseries on GAIN.
What Is Tuba Büyüküstün Doing Now? Latest Updates in 2026
The third and final season of Another Self premiered on Netflix on 24 June 2026, closing the series. On the film side, she stars as Meral in Sultana, which was selected to compete for the Golden Tulip at the 45th Istanbul Film Festival in 2026, with Nur Sürer also in the cast. Earlier in the year, her light-hearted exchange with the host at the Joy Awards 2026 in Riyadh drew wide attention online.
Personal Life
Büyüküstün was married to actor and director Onur Saylak from 2011 to 2017. They have twin daughters, Maya and Toprak, born in 2012, whom she largely keeps out of public view. In 2026 interviews she spoke openly about how difficult the period of her divorce had been. Since 2014 she has served as a UNICEF Turkey Goodwill Ambassador, working on children’s rights.
Belloria’s View
Büyüküstün is the bridge between two eras of Turkish television. She was a star of the dubbed melodramas that first carried dizi to the Arab world, then helped prove, with the Emmy nomination, that Turkish drama could compete for serious international recognition, and finally made a smooth move to Netflix. Many of her contemporaries are remembered for one role; she is remembered for a career. The open question now is cinema: Sultana suggests she is ready to give film the attention she has given television.
Social Media Stats
| X (Twitter) | IMDb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| @tubabustun.official | Not publicly verified | Not publicly verified | IMDb |
| About 6.2M followers | No official page found | No official account found | IMDb profile |
Social media figures are approximate and may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Tuba Büyüküstün nominated for an Emmy?
Yes. She was nominated for Best Actress at the 42nd International Emmy Awards in 2014 for 20 Dakika, becoming the first Turkish actress nominated in that category.
Is Another Self finished?
Yes. Its third and final season premiered on Netflix on 24 June 2026.
Who was Tuba Büyüküstün married to?
She was married to actor and director Onur Saylak from 2011 to 2017. They have twin daughters.
Which series did Tuba Büyüküstün make with Engin Akyürek?
Kara Para Aşk (Black Money Love, 2014 to 2015), in which she played Elif Denizer.
Who did she play in Asi?
She played the title role, Asi Kozcuoğlu, opposite Murat Yıldırım.
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