Meltem Kaptan

Meltem Kaptan is a German actress, comedian and television presenter of Turkish origin. His career, which began with radio and stage comedy, took on an international dimension in 2022 when he won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for his leading role in a film.

He was born on July 8, 1980 in Gütersloh, Germany. He studied English, media science and graphics-painting at the Philipps University of Marburg; He spent part of his education at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and part of his education in the field of theater and performing arts at Western Washington University in the USA. He received his acting and singing training in Istanbul and Washington.

From comedy to cinema

In his early years, he appeared on stage in musicals such as West Side Story and Sweeney Todd. He then wrote and presented comedy programs on West German radio stations such as 1Live and WDR, and became known for his stand-up shows. On television, he was among the presenters of programs such as Das große Backen, Ladies Night and Allererste Sahne.

The breaking point in cinema was the 2022 film Rabiye Kurnaz with George W. Bush, directed by Andreas Dresen. Kaptan, who played the leading role in the film about the legal struggle of a mother from Bremen whose son is detained in Guantánamo, received the Silver Bear for best leading performance at the Berlinale. She was chosen best actress at the German Film Award for the same role.

In the following period, he starred in the sequels of the Die Schule der magischen Tiere series and the 2024 comedy Alter weißer Mann.

The captain also won the twelfth season of the German version of The Masked Singer in 2025. Combining his comedy roots with dramatic acting has made him one of the well-known faces of the German entertainment world.