Deniz Akdeniz

About

Deniz Akdeniz (born 16 May 1990) is an Australian actor. He starred in the Australian remake of As the Bell Rings, from 2007 to 2009. In 2010, Akdeniz gained wider recognition for his leading role in Stuart Beattie’s feature film adaptation of the novel Tomorrow, When the War Began. He then starred in the fantasy horror I, Frankenstein and drama film The Water Diviner (both 2014), before portraying Aladdin in the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2016–2017).
Akdeniz has since appeared in various film and television projects, including the television series The Flight Attendant (2020–2022) and High Potential (2024–present), and the 2023 independent films You Hurt My Feelings and Dumb Money.

Akdeniz is of Turkish descent. His parents hail from Izmir, Turkey and when the family emigrated to Australia, they enrolled his older brother in drama classes to help him integrate socially. Akdeniz followed his brother’s lead and began performing at the age of eight. He developed his performance skills at The Australian Film and Television Academy (TAFTA), NIDA, St Martins Youth Theatre, and with Bruce Alexander at Melbourne Acting Studio. He made his professional debut in a…