Meet the actor who won Turkey's first Emmy Award for best performance
Haluk Bilginer, a veteran actor whose roles range from King Lear to drifters, received an Emmy Award for best acting performance.
Doyen Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer received Nov. 25 the International Emmy Award for best performance by an actor, becoming the first Turk to receive the prestigious award. Bilginer clinched the honor for his mesmerizing performance in the 2018 mini-series "Sahsiyet" ("Persona") as Agah Beyoglu, a gentlemanly, well-dressed, retired court clerk who lives and owns an apartment in the central Istanbul district with which he shares a last name. Upon learning he has Alzheimer's disease, Beyoglu quickly opts to embark upon a serial killing spree, aiming to eliminate his former adversaries with the assurance that he will not remember his actions.
The series opens with Beyoglu realizing his cat has died because he failed to remember to feed and water it. At this point, he receives his diagnosis from a psychologist. After a brief period of mourning for his beloved pet, which he buries himself, he quickly snaps into action when he realizes his fading memory could be an asset rather than a setback. Bilginer deftly plays a character 10-15 years older than his actual age and is relentlessly natural and convincing in his performance as an elderly man in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
