Deniz Akkaya

Deniz Akkaya is a Turkish top model, presenter, occasional fashion editor and disc jockey, entrepreneur, businesswoman, and actress who won Best Model of Turkey 1997. As the top-earning model in Turkey in the early 2000s, Deniz Akkaya is considered to be one of the most leading models in Turkish fashion history,^[1] and one of the most beautiful women of the country.^[2][3]

Deniz Akkaya
Alma mater	Istanbul University
Occupations	Actress businesswoman editor entrepreneur model presenter
Years active	1996–present
Known for	Best Model of Turkey 1997
Children	1
Modelling information
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Hair colour	Auburn-dark brown (coloured; naturally light brown)
Eye colour	Greyish-blue
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title	"Best Model of Turkey 1997"
Major competition(s)	Best Model of Turkey (winner) Elite Model Look
Website	denizakkaya.com.tr

Early life and family

Akkaya is Circassian,^[1] as the daughter of an Hatuqwai father and a Kabardian mother named Dinemyis (Adyghe: Apple of the eye).

Her father was a bureaucrat and master mariner who served as the CEO (managing director) of Turkish Maritime Facilities Inc. Her mother was an economist who worked for Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey. She studied American philology.^[4][where?]

After graduating from the ISTEK SS Private High School on the Avenue in Kadıköy, she studied American Culture and Literature in Department of Western Languages and Literatures of Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University. Following the competitions Elite Model Look^[4] and Best Model of Turkey, she decided to embark on a professional modelling career.

Modelling career and fashion

In 2006, Akkaya became the host and lead judge of the fashion-themed reality television show Turkey's Next Top Model, the Turkish counterpart of the Top Model franchise that was hosted by many supermodels, including Tyra Banks in the United States and Heidi Klum in Germany.^{[citation needed]}

In 2015, she was also entered in the Best of the Best as one of the Habertürk's top 20 winners of the Best Model of Turkey competition, and finished first amongst the former female titleholders who found entry in the large-scale survey that lasted for fifteen days.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Acting career

After being crowned Best Model of Turkey 1997, Akkaya decided to embark on a professional modelling career.^[10] As a film and television actress, she has acted in the films The Masked Gang: Cyprus (2007), Living & Dying (2007), School (2003), Vizontele Tuuba (2003), and Green Light (2002) in addition to the television series Hemşehrim (1996), Şarkılar Seni Söyler (2003), and Metro Palas (2004). She also served as editor for a fashion magazine and launched the children's luxury ready-to-wear store Chic Frog by Deniz Akkaya.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

In 2009, she gave birth to her daughter in Miami, Florida, US.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2002	Green Light
2003	Vizontele Tuuba	Deniz Kızı (Mermaid)
2003	School	Philosophy teacher Alev	Lead
2007	Living & Dying	Anne Noble
2007	The Masked Gang: Cyprus	Bilge	Lead
2021	The Chaos Class Summer Games

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Hemşehrim
2003	Şarkılar Seni Söyler	Ayten Boralı	Lead
2004	Metro Palas	Yelda	Lead
2006	Turkey's Next Top Model	Herself	Host and lead judge
2015–2016	Deniz Akkaya ile Yeniden Ben	Herself	Host
2015–2016	Aramızda Kalmasın	Herself	Co-host
2016	O Bana Çok Benzer	Herself	Episode 1
2016–2017	Duymayan Kalmasın	Herself	Co-host