Dolunay Soysert was born on 25 March 1973 in
Adana. Her family is of
Circassian descent. They moved to
Ankara when she was three or four years old due to her father's job requirements. She spent her primary and middle school years in Ankara, and finished high school in
Istanbul at Private Mode College. After graduating from college, she simultaneously studied acting at the Müjdat Gezen Art Center and earned her bachelor's degree from the School of Art History and Archeology at
Istanbul University. Soysert made her cinematic debut with a role in
Sekizinci Saat, which was directed by
Cemal Gözütok. She then landed roles in comedy series such as
Çılgın Bediş (1996),
Kaygısızlar, and
Baskül Ailesi. She subsequently moved to
England and later to the
United States to finish her studies. She studied drama and theatre at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She lived in
New York City for three years and worked different jobs. After returning to Turkey she appeared in various stage and television productions. Notably, she appeared in the series
Sultan Makamı (2003) and
Omuz Omuza (2004). She portrayed the character of Derya in
Bir İstanbul Masalı and played the role of Leyla in
Bebeğim (2006). In the movie
Mavi Gözlü Dev, which tells the life of
Nâzım Hikmet, Soysert portrayed the famous poet's wife . In an adaptation of
Insignificance which was staged at Dostlar Theatre, Soysert portrayed
Marilyn Monroe. She also had the leading role of Ayşe in the
operetta Ayşe, which went on stage at Gülriz Sururi-Engin Cezzar Theatre. For her role in
Insignificance, Soysert won the Most Successful Actress award at the 9th Afife Theatre Awards. In 2006, together with some of the
Istanbul City Theatres artists, including
Bahtiyar Engin,
Yıldıray Şahinler,
Levent Üzümcü and
Kemal Kocatürk, Soysert founded the Istanbul Folk Theatre. She also took part in the community's first stage adaptation,
Can Tarlası In 2006, she married actor
Sinan Tuzcu. The couple divorced in 2016. In 2008, Soysert had a role in
Sürmanşet, which was written by Tuzcu and staged by the Istanbul Folk Theatre and Beşiktaş Cultural Center. For her role in this play, she received a nomination for the Most Successful Actress award at the 13th Afife Theatre Awards. In 2011, Soysert received her master's degree in advanced acting from
Kadir Has University. She continued her television career by appearing in the series
Benim Annem Bir Melek,
Adanalı,
Başrolde Aşk (2011),
Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2014), and
Urfalıyam Ezelden (2014). She also had roles in the movies
Orada (2009),
Veda (2010),
Ölümden Kalma (2012), and
Yarım Kalan Mucize (2012). Besides acting, Soysert also worked as an acting coach and did commercial voiceovers. followed by
Contradictions in 2015 which was staged by Craft Theatre, and the
one-woman show Kul in 2018 which was an adaptation of
Seray Şahiner's novel. ==Filmography==