Her parents moved from Turkey to West Germany before she was born
Trained as a public administrator and worked for two years at a municipal waste office
After she was nominated for several awards for her work in Head-On (2004), the German press uncovered that she had previously worked in the adult film industry; during one of her acceptance speeches, she publicly complained about the situation
Supports women's rights and volunteers with Terre des Femmes, which fights to end domestic violence against women
Awards
2013Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:nominated
2010European Film Awards-European Actress:nominated
2010Tribeca Film Festival-Best Actress in a Narrative Feature:winner
2010Deutscher Filmpreis-Best Actress:winner
2010Tribeca Film Festival-Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film:winner
2004Deutscher Filmpreis-Best Actress:winner
2004European Film Awards-European Actress:nominated