Defne

Defne. This mononymous actor was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. She graduated from Pace University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Acting program in 2024. She believes acting to open the door to the wonders and terrors of human psychology, finding empathy in the places that seem the most unlikely.

Defne recently worked on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares and has starred in multiple Off-Broadway productions in places like SoHo Playhouse, The Tank, LaGuardia Performing Arts, The Brick Aux, and short films. (Stories Will Not Mend This Broken World, Triggerman, Voyager, etc.)

She is trained in Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen and contemporary theatre. She thought that she would become either a psychologist or lawyer before she decided to pursue acting.

Defne speaks three languages (English,Turkish, Spanish) and translated and directed a reading of Haldun Taner’s famous play into English while at Pace.