Biografia
Serra Yilmaz is renowned for her work as an actor and director in Turkish and Italian theater, film, and television. Her film career began in 1983 with the movie Sekerpare, and in 2002, she earned the Best Actress award at the 21st Istanbul International Film Festival for her lead role in 9, directed by Ümit Ünal.
Yilmaz first visited the Gardner Museum in March 2006, where she explored Isabella Stewart Gardner's travel journals and correspondence with Sarah Bernhardt, Adelaide Grillo, and Lady Gregory. She returned in spring 2008 to perform Apples from the Sky, a series of four intimate readings held in the galleries alongside the Luxury for Export: Exchange Between India and Portugal around 1600 exhibition. The selected texts examined cultural exchange and movement, featuring writers from the 15th-century Greek historian Kritovoulos to Marguerite Yourcenar and Orhan Pamuk. During a Day of Discovery focused on Luxury for Export, Yilmaz also shared Turkish fairy tales suitable for all ages. She dedicated an evening in the Tapestry Room to Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist murdered in 2007 by Turkish nationalists, pairing a reading of his final article promoting tolerance and forgiveness with Armenian and Turkish stories reflecting the same values.
Among Serra Yilmaz's accolades are Best Supporting Actress for Harem Suare (Harem Soirée) at the Antalya Film Festival and Best Supporting Actress for Facing Windows at the Flaiano Film Festival. She has featured in internationally acclaimed films directed by Ferzan Özpetek, including Le Fate Ignorante (The Ignorant Fairies, 2000), La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Windows, 2002), Saturno Contro (Saturn in Opposition, 2007), and Un Giorno Perfetto (A Perfect Day, 2008). Her more recent work includes Red Istanbul (2017) and La Prima Pietra (The First Stone, 2018).
In addition to acting, Yilmaz is a translator fluent in Turkish, French, Italian, and English. In 2006, she served as the official interpreter for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Turkey. She frequently travels for work across Italy, France, and Turkey, residing in both Paris and Florence, and has obtained French citizenship.
