Biography
Sibel Kekilli was a German actress of Turkish descent best known to American audiences for her role as Shae on HBO's "Game of Thrones" (2011- ). Having been born and raised to Turkish parents in the small German city of Heilbronn, Kekilli never felt like she entirely fit in with her fellow countrymen. Thus, at the age of 16, she left town and moved to the city of Essen, where she took on a stream of odd jobs that included waitressing, working as a shop assistant, even acting in adult films, which would later come back to haunt her. It was in 2002 that while strolling in a shopping mall in Cologne that a casting agent spotted the strikingly beautiful Kekilli and encouraged her to audition for a new movie he was working on. The film was called "Head-On" (2004) and after a lengthy auditioning process, Kekilli won the part of an emotionally disturbed Turkish-German woman who falls in love with a widower. The film was well received upon its release, even earning Kekilli a Lola Award, the German equivalent of the Oscars. However, while doing press for the film, the German media dug up Kekilli's past career in the adult film industry, which caused the newbie actress much embarrassment. Determined not to allow the negative press to undermine her burgeoning film career, Kekilli continued to garner praise for her work in such highly acclaimed German films as "The Last Train" (2006), "Playground" (2009), and "When We Leave" (2010), the last of which earned Kekilli her second Lola. In 2010 Kekilli began appearing on TV in a supporting role on the long-running German cop show, "Tatort" (Das Erste 1970- ). Kekilli was thrilled to land the part of investigator Sarah Brandt on the show, as she was starting to become typecast in foreign-speaking roles in German films. Kekilli's biggest international break came when she nabbed the part of Shae, a prostitute with strange and mysterious intentions, on the hit fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" (HBO 2011- ).
