roots  turkish | base  berlin | born  1988 | height  1.78m | eyes brown | hair  blond I education bilkent universität ankara fakultät für musik und darstellende künste 

Showreel

Hayal Kaya was born in 1988 in Ankara, Turkey. She graduated in 2013 with a degree in Acting from Bilkent University, where she gained her first screen experience in various Turkish TV productions and short films. She also performed on stage at the Bilkent Theatre and the Ankara National Theatre.

After moving to Germany in 2013, Kaya worked as a freelance artist in numerous theatre productions. Since 2020, she has been based in Berlin.

She made her debut on German television in a leading role as Elena Barin, the first transgender chief inspector in a German crime drama, in the SWR/ARD Degeto production Seeland – A Crime Story from Lake Constance. Following strong ratings and positive reviews, SWR decided to develop Seeland into a full series. She reprised her role in Seeland – Demons.

In November 2024, she appeared in the TV film Ungeschminkt, playing dentist Antonia, who supports her best friend Josefa, a trans woman returning to her hometown after 35 years.

Kaya also starred as one of the “Wicked Sisters” in Kein Tier. So Wild., a feature film by Burhan Qurbani that premiered as part of the Berlinale Special at the Berlin International Film Festival. It marked her feature film debut.

In the second season of the acclaimed series Totenfrau, Kaya plays bar owner and singer “Mariah Nesbitt.”

Kaya is also active behind the scenes: she served on the jury at Tatort Eifel and most recently on the jury for the QMS Award. She is committed to justice, human rights, and queer visibility in film and television.