The following is a list of people of full or partial Turkish Cypriot origin. This includes notable people in the community who were born on the island of Cyprus during the Ottoman era (1570-1878/1914), the British era (1878/1914-1960), as well as with the formation of the Republic of Cyprus (1960–present), the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus (1975–83), and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (1983–present).
In addition, due to the large Turkish Cypriot diaspora living outside of the island, there are many notable people of Turkish Cypriot origin who are living in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Canada, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, New Zealand, Norway etc. These individuals are listed with their citizenship (i.e. as "Turkish", "British", "Australian", "American", "Canadian", "Jordanian", "Egyptian", "German", "New Zealander", "Norwegian" etc.) alongside their notability and connection to the Turkish Cypriot community. Those with dual citizenship (i.e. who were born in Cyprus and have emigrated abroad) are listed as "Turkish Cypriot-born" alongside the citizenship they have acquired.
Academia and medicine
Mehmet Aziz, medical researcher; widely credited with eradicating malaria in Cyprus , the first female Chief Matron of Nicosia (appointed in 1963) Erkin Bairam, Turkish Cypriot-born New Zealander economist at the University of Otago Ulus Baker, Turkish-born sociologist (Turkish Cypriot parents) Niyazi Berkes, sociologist Süleyman Başak, British Professor of Finance at the London Business School , criminologist Mustafa Djamgoz, British Professor of Cancer Biology at Imperial College London and Chairman of the College of Medicine’s Science Council , Turkish-born linguist, Turcologist and author (Turkish Cypriot father) Erol Erduran, educator Fahir Ersin, Turkish political scientist and journalist (Turkish Cypriot father) Ten Feizi, , Turkish Cypriot-born British Professor and Director of the Glycosciences Laboratory at Imperial College London , parasitologist, herpetologist, taxonomist and nature photographer Halil Güven, Turkish Cypriot-born American mechanical engineer; Dean of San Diego State University - Georgia , head of the first blood bank established in Cyprus in (1953–63); established and directed a second blood bank in the Turkish part of Nicosia (1963–70) , theoretical physicist , political scientist Ozay Mehmet, Turkish Cypriot-born Canadian professor of international affairs at Carleton University Kerim Munir, Turkish Cypriot-born American professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital at Harvard University; directed development of the National Mental Health Policy for Turkey (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3166637/) Kamil Özerk, Turkish Cypriot-born Norwegian Professor of Pedagogy at the University of Oslo , physician , neurosurgery , Cyprus Studies, Turkic Languages Asım Vehbi, educator; CEO and Vice-Chancellor of Girne American University Vamık Volkan, Turkish Cypriot-born American Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia Kamer Yusuf, one of the first Turkish Cypriot women pharmacists
Arts and literature
, poet , ceramic artist Ruzen Atakan, painter Ibrahim Aziz, political analyst Urkiye Mine Balman, poet Taner Baybars, Turkish Cypriot-born British poet (Turkish Cypriot parents) Hussein Bicar, Egyptian-born painter (Turkish Cypriot origin) Neriman Cahit, poet; a vocal advocate of women's rights , painter and museologist Mutlu Çerkez, British-born Australian artist (Turkish Cypriot parents) , painter , poet , poet , Ottoman poet Tracey Emin, British-born artist (Turkish Cypriot father) İsmet Güney, artist; designer of the Flag of Cyprus , painter and writer , poet Mustafa Hulusi, British-born artist (Turkish Cypriot parents) Ümit Hussein, British-born literary translator and interpreter (Turkish Cypriot parents) Yaşar İsmailoğlu, Turkish Cypriot-born British poet , author and screenwriter (Turkish Cypriot father) , novelist , cartoonist Pembe Marmara, poet , poet Kaytazzade Mehmet Nazım, Ottoman poet , poet Arif Ozakca, British-born artist (Turkish Cypriot origin) , poet , poet , poet , painter and writer Zehra Şonya, sculptor and academic Hasan Tahsin, Ottoman poet , painter, sculptor, poet and writer Osman Türkay, poet; nominee for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988 , poet , writer , writer Derviş Vahdeti, Ottoman journalist, writer and clergyman Mehmet Yaşın, poet and author Neşe Yaşın, poet and author Özker Yaşın, poet and author
Business , entrepreneur and educator; founder of Girne American University and American University of Cyprus Besim Tibuk, businessman Mehmet Dalman, Turkish Cypriot-born British investment banker and chairman of Welsh football club Cardiff City Bulent Hass Dellal, Australian-born director and chairman of the Special Broadcasting Service (Turkish Cypriot parents) , businessman , billionaire businessman , businessman Suat Günsel, billionaire; property developer and founder of the Near East University Ali Guryel, British entrepreneur; founder of Bromcom Hattie Hasan, , British-born CEO of the Stopcocks Women Plumbers (Turkish Cypriot parents) Asil Nadir, Billionaire businessman Ozerk Ozan Norwegian fintech entrepreneur Touker Suleyman, Turkish Cypriot-born British fashion retail entrepreneur and a "dragon" on Dragon's Den
Cinema and television
Nej Adamson, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Zeki Alasya, Turkish-born actor (Turkish Cypriot origin; descendant of Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha) Osman Alkaş, actor Ferhat Atik, filmmaker, scenario writer and novelist Feri Cansel, Turkish Cypriot-born British and Turkish actress Zümrüt Cansel, British-born Turkish actress (Turkish Cypriot mother) Kem Cetinay, British-born TV personality and rapper (Turkish Cypriot parents) Haldun Dormen, Turkish-born actor (Turkish Cypriot father) Ali Düşenkalkar, actor , Turkish-born actor (Turkish Cypriot origin) Aslı Enver, British-born Turkish actress (Turkish Cypriot father) Hazar Ergüçlü, actress Mem Ferda, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Tamer Garip, film director Tamer Hassan, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Belle Hassan, British-born model; Season 5 of Love Island (Turkish Cypriot father) Aykut Hilmi, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot father) Metin Hüseyin, British-born film director (Turkish Cypriot parents) Hüseyin Köroğlu, actor Erim Metto, British-born film director (Turkish Cypriot parents) Mem Morrison, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Erkan Mustafa, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Cosh Omar, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Hal Ozsan, Turkish Cypriot-born British and American actor , actress Selen Öztürk, Turkish-born actress (Turkish Cypriot mother) , actor; co-founder of the Nicosia Municipal Theater Sinem Saban, Australian-born film writer, producer, director, and human rights activist (Turkish Cypriot parents) Tolga Safer, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Meliz Serman, British-born stage actress Kemal Shahin, British-born Big Brother contestant (Turkish Cypriot parents) Anna Silk, Canadian-born actress (Turkish Cypriot-British mother) Ilkay Silk, , Turkish Cypriot-born Canadian actress, playwright, producer, and educator Mine Teber, actress Aden Theobald, British-born Big Brother contestant (Turkish Cypriot mother) , theatre artist and director Sezer Yurtseven, British-born Big Brother contestant (Turkish Cypriot parents) Anatol Yusef, British-born actor (Turkish Cypriot parents) Derviş Zaim, filmmaker ekin-su cülcüloğlu, love island contestant
Design and fashion
Mustafa Aslanturk, Turkish Cypriot-born British fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, MBE, Turkish Cypriot-born British fashion designer Nasir Mazhar, British-born fashion designer (Turkish Cypriot parents)
Food Refika Birgül, Turkish-born celebrity chef (Turkish Cypriot mother) Selin Kiazim, British-born chef and winner of the Great British Menu (Turkish Cypriot parents) Ismail Tosun, Turkish-born Australian celebrity chef (Turkish Cypriot mother)
Journalism Kutlu Adalı, peace advocate Alkan Chaglar, British-born Canadian journalist (Turkish Cypriot parents) , journalist , journalist, writer and researcher , journalist , sports journalist Ayhan Hikmet, journalist; editor of the Turkish Cypriot weekly newspaper Cumhuriyet , journalist Fazıl Önder, journalist; peace advocate Sevgül Uludağ, journalist, peace and gender activist
Law Gönül Başaran Erönen, British-born judge in the TRNC Supreme Court (Turkish Cypriot origin) , President of the TRNC Supreme Court
Military Patrick Azimkar, British-born soldier killed during the Massereene Barracks shooting in 2009 (Turkish Cypriot father)
Music
, composer, guitarist and singer Beyhan Demirdağ Alkan, mezzo-soprano Erol Alkan, British-born DJ and producer , singer Peri Aziz, British-born singer and former member of Babutsa Kamran Aziz, musician Nil Burak, pop singer and actress Buray, pop singer , Turkish-born classical music singer and composer (Turkish Cypriot father) , singer , pianist Genco Ecer, Turkish-born singer (Turkish Cypriot father) Okan Ersan, jazz fusion guitarist, composer and record artist Oytun Ersan, bass guitarist and composer , Turkish-born musician Jane Remover, American musician Turgay Hilmi, French horn player Atila Huseyin, British-born jazz singer Işın Karaca, British-born Turkish singer (Turkish Cypriot mother) Fikri Karayel, rock singer and songwriter Tolga Kashif, British-born music conductor , British-born singer (Turkish Cypriot parents) Dogan Mehmet, British-born musician (Turkish Cypriot parents) Ayla Peksoylu, British-born singer (Turkish Cypriot father) , pianist Sav Remzi, British-born record producer Ziynet Sali, Turkish Cypriot-born British singer SOS, rock band Zeliş Şenol, singer Ali Sönmez, British-born musician; lead singer of Babutsa Rüya Taner, German-born pianist (Turkish Cypriot parents) Tash, British-born singer Deniz Tekin, musician and songwriter (Turkish Cypriot origin) Soner Türsoy, Turkish Cypriot-born British musician; member of Babutsa B Young, British-born rapper and singer-songwriter
Politics
Sonay Adem, TRNC Minister for Labor and Social Security (2005–09) , TRNC Minister of Interior and Labor (2015–16) Mustafa Akıncı, President of Northern Cyprus (2015–20) Hakkı Atun, Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus (1994–96) , Turkish politician (Turkish Cypriot origin; descendant of Kıbrıslı Mehmed Kamil Pasha) , Turkish MP for İzmit (Kocaeli) (1920–23)(1931–35), one of the founding members of the Turkish Parliament, (born in Nicosia) Turgay Avcı, leader of the Freedom and Reform Party (ÖRP) , Mayor of Gönyeli (2006–present) Ahmet Mithat Berberoğlu, founder of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Beran Bertuğ, first female kaymakam of Gazimağusa Filiz Besim, Minister of Health (2018–present) Hasan Bozer, speaker of the Assembly of Northern Cyprus (2009–13) Gülsen Bozkurt, Minister of Health and the Environment (1999–2001) Cemal Metin Bulutoğluları, Mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality (2006–13) Nesil Caliskan, British-born politician; Enfield London Borough Council's first female leader (Turkish Cypriot parents) , Mayor of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality (1962–1969) Mete Coban, , Turkish-Cypriot born British Labour Councillor for Stoke Newington; founder of My Life My Say Mustafa Çağatay, Prime Minister of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus and the TRNC (1978–83) Mehmet Çakıcı, first leader of the Communal Democracy Party (TDP) (2007–13) Zeki Çeler, member of the TDP Emine Çolak, TRNC minister of foreign affairs (2015–16) Derviş Kemal Deniz, TRNC minister of economy and tourism Raif Denktaş, UBP MP (1983–85) Rauf Denktaş, second vice president of Cyprus (1973–74); first president of Northern Cyprus (1983–2005) Serdar Denktaş, leader of the Democratic Party (1996–2018); Deputy President of Northern Cyprus (1996–98; 2005–06; 2013–15; and 2016–19) Doğuş Derya, CTP MP (2013–present)