Top 10 Interesting Facts about Esra Bilgic

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Top 10 Interesting Facts about Esra Bilgic

Esra Bilgic is a Turkish actress and model. She was born on 14 October 1992 in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

She is best known for her role in the Turkish historical drama, Dirilis: Ertrugul, alongside Engin Duzyatan, the lead actor.

Esra has starred in several other films and series, including the 2021 crime drama, Ramo. She has won many awards for her achievements in the film industry.

 She also does modelling and in 2022, she appeared in Victoria’s Secret commercial for the ‘Love Cloud’ collection. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about Esra Bilgic.

1. She is an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts

The main entrance to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts on Gower Street, London. Photo by N. Chadwick. Wikimedia Commons.

Esra studied drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. It is a drama school that offers training for theatre, film, television, and radio.

It has many notable alumni in the entertainment industry from all over the world. These include Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Richard Attenborough (The Great Escape, Jurassic Park), and David Bradley (Harry Potter), just to mention a few.

Esra Bilgic has also attended Bilkent International University, a private university in Ankara, Turkey. She studied International Relations.

2. Esra made her big break for her role in Dirilis: Ertugrul

The series is a Turkish historical drama centred on the life of the 13^th-century Turk warrior, Ertugrul Bey.

He was the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman Bey. Turkish actor Engin Altan Dyuzatan portrayed Ertugrul.

Esra Bilgic played the role of Halime Hatun, the mother of Osman. She had to learn sword fighting in preparing for the role. Bilgic left the show in 2018 when her character was killed off.

3. She became quite popular in Pakistan

Following her incredibly portrayed the role as Halime in the series Dirilis Ertugrul, she gained quite a following from the Pakistanis.

 The series was indeed widely watched in Pakistan and an interview, Esra especially thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for encouraging everyone to watch the series.

Esra has appeared on the cover of a Pakistani magazine’s June issue,  ‘Hello Pakistan’. She did an exclusive photoshoot as well and gave the magazine an interview. She also signed contracts with three Pakistani brands as an ambassador!

Pakistani fans expressed their love and admiration for her portrayal of Halime Hatun, which won their hearts.

4. She made her feature film debut in 2020

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She played the leading role of Cemre Haznedar in the film ‘Adanis Kutsal Kavga.’ The film is an action genre movie that runs for 112 minutes.

The plot revolves around a group called ‘Devotees’, whose mandate is to protect a vital secret that the Turks realized on conquering Istanbul.

It has been described as one of the best Turkish action Box Office movies. The rest of the main cast includes Ismail Filiz in the lead role, Baki Ilhan and Serdar Deniz. It is directed by Emir Khalilzadeh.

5. Esra has played lead roles in numerous series

 After her role in Dirilis: Ertugrul, she was cast as lead on the series ‘Bir Umut Yeter.’ She played the role of Derya Akar.  She appeared alongside Tolgahan Sayisman and Hazal Subasi.

Esra also starred as the lead actress in the Turkish crime drama ‘Ramo’, alongside co-star Murat Yildirim. She played the main female role of Sibel, the mistress of a gang leader.

From September 2021 to February 2022, she played the lead role of Gulfem Pasazade in the drama Kanunsuz Topraklar, costarring Ugur Unes.

Ugur Unes had also featured in the series Dirilis: Ertugrul, in which Esra was cast as well.

The show was, however, cancelled after 16 episodes due to poor ratings.

6. She has won numerous awards

Photo of a film award trophy. Photo by Toglenn. Wikimedia Commons.

For her incredible performance of her role in Dirilis: Ertugrul, she won the 2016 Anadolu Media Awards for Best Female Actress of the Series, and the 2015 Social Awareness Awards for Best Female Actress.

She was nominated in the 2016 Turkey Youth Awards for Best Female Actress in Series. Esra received the Sadri Alisik Theatre and Cinema Awards for Best Female Actress in 2016.

7. Esra Bigil dated professional Turkish footballer, Gokhan Tore

Turkish international football player, Gokhan Tore. Photo by Thomas Rodenbucher. Wikimedia Commons.

The two started dating in 2014 and got married in October 2017. The celebrity wedding was attended by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and first lady Emine Erdogan.

The couple however got divorced in 2019. Gokhan married architect Buket Buyukdere in February 2020.

8. She was involved in a heated Twitter controversy in 2021

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Esra courted some controversy on Twitter. She had posted ‘radical’ tweets which brought her under intense heat from the public.

 Her sentiments toward Afghan refugees caused an uproar, being termed discriminatory and racist. She has posted retweets with controversial hashtags, including ‘I don’t want Afghans here’.

Dawn, the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, described the original tweets as ‘hateful’. Esra however, later removed the posts.

9. She has served as an ambassador for various brands

Bilgic became very popular in Pakistan for her role in Dirilis: Ertugrul. She subsequently was appointed brand ambassador for the Pakistani cricket team Peshawar Zalmi, and QMobile, an electronic company.

She also signed a contract to become an ambassador for Jazz, QMobile’s mobile network provider.

10. Esra Bilgic has appeared in numerous commercials

Victoria’s Secret shops. Photo by EEIM. Wikimedia Commons.

She is a model. She appeared in Victoria’s Secret’s commercial for the ‘Love Cloud’ collection in 2022. Victoria’s Secret is renowned American clothing, lingerie, and beauty retailer. It runs an annual fashion show.

 The commercial caused an uproar among Pakistani men, who expressed their disappointment in Esra’s ‘exposing’ outfit.

Some fans criticized her for disrespecting Islam and the royal character of Halime Sultane in the series Dirilis Ertugrul.

Other fans expressed their shock at the moral policing of the actress and called them out for failing to differentiate between her real-life persona and her character in the series.