[2] He is known for his role as police detective Semir Gerkhan in Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei.

At age 18, he made his first appearance as a supporting role in "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" at the National Theatre of Hanover before studying acting at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.

[3] In March 1996, Action Concept[4] cast Atalay in what would become his breakthrough role, starring as Semir Gerkhan, a police detective of Turkish origin.

In 2005, Atalay published a short story, "Die Türkei ist da oben" ("Turkey is Up There"), in the German-Turkish anthology Was lebbt du?.

Atalay's first marriage was to film and theatre actress Astrid Pollmann in 2004; the couple separated in late 2009.