Başkalarının Hayatı Cast: Actors, Characters And Family Ties

Başkalarının Hayatı (“The Lives of Others”) is one of the most talked-about Turkish dramas of the 2026–27 season. The ensemble is large, and the plot depends on how four households connect, so this guide starts with a simple cast table and then goes through each person and family in detail.

Cast at a Glance

Actor	Character
Eylül Lize Kandemir	Hülya
Burak Berkay Akgül	Dr. Sarp
Doğa Bayram	Neslihan
Demirhan Demircioğlu	Erim
Mehmet Aslantuğ	Fikret
Sezin Akbaşoğulları	Mediha
Tolga Tekin	Haluk
Oya Okar	Jale
Hazar Motan	Sema
Feri Baycu	Hülya’s mother (Neriman or Nermin)
Deniz Ekinci	Gülizar
Erkan Bektaş	Salih
Sinem Dağ	Dila
Esra Kızıldoğan	Perihan
Ali Pınar	Yusuf
Lorin Merhart	Mustafa
Fırat Kaymak	Cengo
Cem Baza	Hüseyin
İbrahim Şahin	Nihat
Zümra Sağdınç	Zeynep

Production Facts

The series airs on Star TV every Saturday at 20:00, and the first episode aired on 26 September 2026. It is an Ay Yapım production. Banu Kiremitçi Bozkurt wrote the screenplay, Burak Müjdeci directs, and Ozan Say is also credited as a director. Filming began in July 2026, mainly in Istanbul, with locations including Balat, Beykoz, and Üsküdar.

Where does the story come from?

The coverage disagrees. NTV says the series is inspired by Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. Another outlet, citing journalist Birsen Altuntaş, says it is adapted from the Mexican series Rubí. Both stories follow a woman who schemes her way up the social ladder so that the claims may overlap. No definitive statement from Ay Yapım turned up, so treat the source as unconfirmed.

The Premise (No Spoilers)

Hülya is the ambitious daughter of a low-income family who won a half-scholarship to university. Her story opens up when she meets Neslihan, the daughter of Fikret Özkaran, from a wealthy, long-established family. An early promo showed Hülya and her sister Sema struggling financially when their mother suddenly fell ill. That is how Hülya met the doctor Sarp.

The Four Central Characters

Eylül Lize Kandemir as Hülya

Hülya comes from a low-income family. Her mother is a seamstress, and her sister carries the household and helps pay for her education. She wants a life very different from the one her family’s finances allow, and the choices she makes between two worlds drive the main story.

Kandemir was born in Istanbul on 24 December 2001. Her credits include Zemheri, Elbet Bir Gün, Ah Nerede, and Kardeşlerim, where she played Yasmin, a spoiled, rich girl, the opposite of Hülya. In 2026, she also joined Masumiyet Müzesi as Füsun.

Burak Berkay Akgül as Dr. Sarp

Sarp is a doctor, and his relationship with Hülya sits at the centre of the story. His sister Dila is played by Sinem Dağ, and he is Erim’s closest friend.

Akgül is known for Yaman in Safir, Kaya Tegin in Destan, and Devran in Sahipsizler; he also played Uzer in the digital series RU. He was born in Istanbul in February 1997, though sources disagree on the day, and studied geological engineering at Istanbul University. He trained in on-camera acting at Akademi 35,5.

Doğa Bayram as Neslihan Özkaran

Neslihan is Fikret’s daughter, and Mediha raised her like her own child. She has a secret she cannot tell Erim, which the official episode summaries emphasised.

Bayram was born in Çanakkale on 14 May 2002. She became better known as Zeliha in Sahipsizler, and she also has credits in Gaddar.

Demirhan Demircioğlu as Erim Korhanlı

Erim is the heir of the Korhanlı family, back in Istanbul after living in London. He is the son of Haluk and Jale, and Neslihan’s childhood love.

Demircioğlu was born on 1 January 1999 and is best known as Aziz Uras in Bahar. He also appeared in Barbaros Hayreddin: Sultan’ın Fermanı and the film Karantina.

Sources conflict on his birthplace (Istanbul or Ankara) and his training. One report says he graduated from Mimar Sinan University’s acting department.

The Veterans

Mehmet Aslantuğ as Fikret Özkaran

Fikret is a powerful, successful businessman and a prominent member of the Özkaran family. Aslantuğ describes him as protective but unwilling to bend his own rules, and says he should not be seen only as a rich businessman. One of the most important people in his life is his daughter Neslihan.

Aslantuğ was born in Samsun on 25 September 1961. His credits include Bir İstanbul Masalı, Hanımın Çiftliği, Kardeş Çocukları, Ben Onu Çok Sevdim, Yürek Çıkmazı and Masumiyet.

Sezin Akbaşoğulları as Mediha

Mediha may be the most interesting supporting character. She started working for the Özkaran family very young and gradually became part of their lives, not just an employee. She played a major part in raising Neslihan, and she doubted Hülya’s closeness to the family from the start. If the show has a gatekeeper, it is Mediha.

Tolga Tekin as Haluk Korhanlı

Haluk is an ambitious businessman and Erim’s father. Tekin was born in Ankara in 1973 and trained at Hacettepe University State Conservatory.

Oya Okar as Jale Korhanlı

Jale is deeply devoted to her son Erim, and reports hint that other sides of her character may appear in later episodes. Okar was born in Istanbul on 12 January 1986 and works in theatre, film and television.

Family Ties: The Four Households

The Özkarans. Fikret is the head of the family and Neslihan’s father. Mediha is not a blood relative, but she raised Neslihan like her own child and is the family’s most protective figure. I found no coverage of Neslihan’s mother.

The Korhanlıs. Haluk and Jale are Erim’s parents, and Erim is Neslihan’s childhood love. Perihan appears in a phone call with Haluk that Sarp overhears, but the coverage does not make her exact relationship to the family clear.

Hülya’s family (the Sezginels). Hülya has a sister, Sema (Hazar Motan), and the two see life very differently. Their mother is played by Feri Baycu, and her sudden illness brings Hülya and Sarp together.

The cast lists spell the character’s name as Neriman, but an NTV promo write-up spells it Nermin. Salih (Erkan Bektaş), HüHülya’sather, leaves prison in the third episode, and his return brings back the family’s past.

Sarp’s family. Sarp’s family has a sister, Dila (Sinem Dağ) and a mother.

Friendships across the households. Hülya and Neslihan meet at university, which opens the door to the Özkaran family. Sarp is Erim’s close friend. Gülizar (Deniz Ekinci) is Hülya’s childhood friend from the same neighbourhood and works in a clothing shop.

⚠️ Spoilers: What Has Happened So Far

Episode 1. Hülya learns that Hülya is Erim’s closest friend and is drawn to him, while tension rises between Neslihan and Erim. Mediha has Hülya followed and discovers she lied. Hülya tells Gülizar she plans to make Erim fall in Hülya with her.

Early episodes. Mediha plots to get Hülya out of the house. Sarp overhears a phone call between Haluk and Perihan that turns Hülya’s world upside down. Hülya hires Mediha’s fired former driver, Orhan, along with Gülizar, to undermine Mediha’s story at home. Erim confesses to Jale that he loves Hülya, then learns Hülya has married Fikret.

How It is Doing

In a recent episode, the series topped the AB group with a 4.09 rating and a 12.53 share, and led the ABC1 group with a 4.58 rating and a 12.91 share. Since ratings change weekly, check the latest numbers before quoting.

Why the Casting Works

The producers bring together popular leads from recent shows like Safir, Bahar, Sahipsizler, and Kardeşlerim with experienced actors such as Aslantuğ and Tekin.

The younger cast members handle the romance and rivalry, while the older actors add depth to the Özkaran and Korhanlı families.

The ongoing conflict between Mediha and Hülya keeps the show tense, adding more drama beyond the main love triangle.

Conclusion

Başkalarının Hayatı succeeds because its cast and family dynamics are designed to create conflict. At the heart of the story is Hülya, a young woman from a modest background who longs for what others have.

Hülya. Around her are three other worlds: the Özkarans, with their wealth and Mediha’s fierce loyalty; the Korhanlıs, with an heir who has just come home; and Sarp, whose friendship with Erim and pull toward Hülya tie the groups together.

Almost every relationship in the show crosses one of thosenHülyas, which is why the casting matters so much.

Pairing rising stars like Kandemir, Akgül, Bayram and Demircioğlu with experienced actors such as Aslantuğ, Akbaşoğulları, Tekin and Okar gives the drama two registers: youthful desire and rivalry on one side, and the weight of money, loyalty and old secrets on the other. Early ratings suggest viewers are responding.

Several questions are still open. The producers have not decided whether this is a Vanity Fair adaptation or a Rubí adaptation; many supporting roles are barely explained, and the family fallout from Hülya’s marriage is still unfolding.

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