Cem Bender

Photo Source: p.a.y, tabii

Cem Bender is a Turkish actor. He acted in Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century, also: Ezgi, Biran, Aras, Burak & Burcu), Kurt Seyit ve Şura (Kurt Seyit and Shura, also: Kıvanç, Demet, Birkan & Fahriye), Gülperi, Hakan: Muhafız (The Protector, also: Helin & Çağatay), Aldatmak (Deception/To Betray), Magarsus (also: Merve), Zamanın Kapıları (Doors of Destiny, also: Şükrü, Birkan & Esra) and more. His new series Sakıncalı (A Mother’s Oath, also: Nihal, Salih, Özge, Miray & Seray) was released on November 19, 2025.

Facts:

• he received acting training at Şahika Tekand’s Studio Actors (Studio Oyuncuları) ensemble
• began his acting career in 1990 with the film Berdel
• first appeared on television in 2003 with the TV series Sultan Makamı
• gained widespread recognition for his role as Seyit in the TV series Gülperi, which aired in 2018
• has acted in countless theatre plays, films and TV series
• didn’t begin his acting training with the desire to become an actor, it was simply a process of learning and a meaningful way to explore himself
• a habit he has from theatre is that he feels uneasy filming a scene without fully preparing, as he is used to withdrawing into his inner world before a performance
  • approaches each set day with strong discipline, emphasising deep preparation rooted in his theatre background
• he dislikes last-minute changes to costume, hair or makeup and prefers entering a scene calmly
• about his Alev Alev character: the real problem is not only characters like Çelebi, but the way society creates space for and normalises such people
  • was surprised that viewers first reacted with anger, then appreciation and even curiosity, questioning why the character was evil instead of simply dismissing him
  • the fact that the audience tried to understand the character rather than just judge him was the most interesting response
• his main advice to students is to do acting for themselves and to prioritise honesty and inner satisfaction on stage, believing the audience immediately senses sincerity
  • emphasises that acting is a deeply personal process that requires strong discipline, dedication and constant effort and can be as demanding and unforgiving as any highly technical profession
• he doesn’t rank architecture and acting, having learned to live with both
  • acting entered his life during his architecture studies and became a way to explore himself, which also enriched his work as an architect; the two disciplines now mutually nourish each other
  • admires Seyfi Arkan as a key figure of Republican-era modern architecture, valuing his human-centred approach and drawing a parallel between architecture designing space and theatre shaping the human within it