List of Famous people born in Istanbul, Istanbul Province

Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil was a Turkish author, poet, and playwright. A part of the Edebiyat-ı Cedide movement of the late Ottoman Empire, he was the founder of and contributor to many literary movements and institutions, including his flagship Servet-i Fünun journal. He was a strong critic of the Sultan Abdul Hamid II, which led to the censorship of much of his work by the Ottoman government. His many novels, plays, short stories, and essays include his 1899 romance novel Aşk-ı Memnu, which has been adapted into an internationally successful television series of the same name.

Theodora Porphyrogenita was Byzantine Empress from 21 April 1042 to her death on 31 August 1056, and sole ruler from 11 January 1055. She was born into the Macedonian dynasty that ruled the Byzantine Empire for almost 200 years.

Rosy Varte was a French actress of Armenian descent. She made almost 100 film and television appearances since 1949.

Kerimcan Durmaz is a Turkish social media personality and make-up artist. Since 2015, he has been known in Turkey for the videos he publishes online.

Hüseyin Rauf Orbay was an Ottoman-born Turkish naval officer, statesman and diplomat.

Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha was an Ottoman democrat, kingmaker and one of the leading statesmen during the late Tanzimat period. He is most famous for leading the Ottoman constitutional movement of 1876 and introducing the First Constitutional Era, but was also a leading figure of reform in the educational and provincial administrations. He was part of a governing elite which recognized the crisis the Empire was in and considered reform to be a dire need. Midhat Pasha is described as a person with a liberal attitude and is often considered as one of the founders of the Ottoman Parliament.

Ayşe Yıldız Kenter was a Turkish actress and lecturer, who was of English descent from her maternal side. Kenter was also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Turkey.

Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by The New York Times as "one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history".

Nuray "Nur" Yerlitaş was a Turkish fashion designer.

Anna Porphyrogenita was a Grand Princess consort of Kiev; she was married to Grand Prince Vladimir the Great.