Meli Bendeli
Biography
Bendeli was born in 1989 in Ankara as ″Ahmet Melih Yılmaz″. She graduated from Ankara University DTCF Theater Department. She is an experienced theater actor. She was very popular with her acting performance in the theater play Woyzeck Masalı directed by Erdal Beşikçioğlu.
Bendeli, in addition to her theater works, has started to act in films and TV series since 2010. She took part in the series Hatırla Gönül in 2015, and in 2018 she started to portray the character of Timsah Celil in the TV series Çukur, but later left the series. She played the role of Şinasi in the series Cam Tavanlar, which was broadcast on Show TV and made its final in 2021.
At the same time, she plays the leading role in Miriam Yasta, staged by Tatbikat Sahne, and directed by Erdal Beşikçioğlu, which premiered on 19 November 2021.
In January 2022, Bendeli came out as a transgender woman and began using she/her pronouns. Following his transition, Ahmet changed his name to Meli Bendeli. As Meli Bendeli, she continued to pursue acting roles in projects such as Dengeler (2024) and Salyangoz Odasi (2025). Meli Bendeli jailed in ‘obscenity’ probe over social media posts in 8 September 2026.
Bendeli says she has been unable to find acting roles since undergoing gender-affirming surgery, forces her to depend on content creation for income through her personal accounts on social media platforms. She was formally arrested on obscenity charges over paid subscription content published on social media platforms.
Bendeli's arrest highlights a broader trend of judicial authorities framing non-explicit material as obscene, targeting public figures, including LGBTI+s.
Filmography
Film
- 2025 — Salyangoz Odası — Gece
- 2024 — Dengeler — Hayat
- 2022 — Horoz Dövüşü — Hazar
- 2021 — Sıradan Bir Gün — Tolga
- 2021 — Gölgelerin İçinde
- 2021 — Ali'nin Tabiatı — Musa
- 2021 — İçimdeki Kahraman — Kahraman
- 2020 — Yeniden Leyla — Umut
- 2020 — Orada — Volkan
- 2019 — Gölgeler İçinde — Ati
- 2018 — Yuva
- 2017 — Körfez — Cihan
- 2017 — Daha — Osman
- 2015 — Abluka
- 2010 — Felaket — Meriç
- 2010 — Baymin Url — Melih
Television
- 2021 — Cam Tavanlar — Şinasi
- 2021 — Ex Aşkım — Berke
- 2019–2020 — Çukur — Timsah Celil
- 2017 — Hayat Şarkısı — Cambaz
- 2015 — Hatırla Gönül — Mete
Theatre
- 2021 — Miriam Yasta — Tatbikat Sahnesi
- 2020 — Acting — Tatbikat Sahnesi
- 2019 — Hep Sonradan — Boğaziçi Performing Arts Society
- 2016 — Apaçi Gızlar — Mek'an
- 2015 — Woyzeck Masalı — Tatbikat Sahnesi
- 2014 — Artık Hiçbi'şii Eskisi Gibi Olmayacak Sil Gözyaşlarını — Mek'an
- - — Tevaffuk — Mek'an
- - — Kuyu — Mek'an
- - — Bernarda Alba'nın Evi — Mek'an
- - — Kadınlar, Aşklar, Şarkılar — Mek'an
📚 Source: Wikipedia
