Alara Bozbey

From Aliona to Alara

Alara Bozbey was born in Lithuania in 1986 under the name Aliona. Her parents divorced when she was five years old, and that event changed her life's direction forever. She moved to Istanbul with her mother, who married a Turkish citizen, and there began a complete process of adaptation.

She took Turkish citizenship and legally changed her name. Before filming, she read the script in a language that was not her native tongue. But her natural talent overcame the initial language barriers.

In 2004, she landed her first major role on television.

She played Natalia in the series Yabancı Damat. It was a production that explored the cultural tensions between Turkey and Greece through a romantic comedy. That experience gave her insight into how industrial film sets work on the Bosphorus.

And the gamble paid off.

Supporting Roles as a Safe Haven

For several years, she took on long-running projects where the spotlight fell on others. In 2006, she appeared in Arka Sokaklar, and in 2007 she joined the cast of Evimin Erkeği. These titles demanded fourteen-hour workdays on grueling film sets.

In 2008, she joined Adanalı, one of the most popular shows of the era. She played Julia over several seasons. The series reached massive viewership peaks and helped establish her as a reliable supporting actress for Istanbul production companies.

But her private life also began to take up space in the magazines. In 2012, she married actor and comedian Ata Demirer. The union was brief. They divorced in 2014 by mutual agreement, without making any loud statements to the press.

She kept working tirelessly.

In 2015, she filmed Gamsız Hayat, playing Aslı. It was a transitional period in which she sought roles with greater dramatic depth. She therefore accepted parts that moved away from the innocent image the industry tried to impose on her because of her foreign looks.

Her Breakout in Turkish Drama Exports

In 2017, the project that took her career beyond Turkey's borders arrived. She played Demet in Dolunay. On this series, she worked alongside Can Yaman and Özge Gürel in a storyline about ambition and family secrets.

Demet was not the heroine of the story. She was a morally gray character who schemed for power within a corporate structure. The production was exported to more than 20 countries and had a notable impact on the markets of Spain and Italy.

In 2022, she joined the cast of Gecenin Ucunda to play Neşe. It was a TMC Film production for the Star TV network. She shared the screen with Neslihan Atagül and Kadir Doğulu in a story based on the novel by Peride Celal.

The series aired its final episode in April 2023 after completing 26 episodes filmed entirely on location in Istanbul.