Tim Seyfi, born Timur Seyfettin Ölmez on August 10, 1971 in Yıldızeli, Turkey, relocated with his family to Munich in 1974. Following his high school graduation, he pursued studies in simultaneous interpreting (English and French) in Munich and Marseille, completing his degree in 1994. During this period, he gained initial on-camera experience through minor hosting roles at TV broadcaster Tele 5. Seyfi also spent six years as a singer and songwriter in various rock bands, while concurrently studying acting in Munich, New York, and at the Cours Florent in Paris. 

Tim Seyfi's career as a film actor took off in 1995 when he was discovered during a stage production of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Katzelmacher." This opportunity led to a bigger role in Hans Christian Müller's TV drama "Willkommen in Kronstadt" (1995).

From 1997 onwards, Seyfi became a regular face in both television and cinema, appearing in major and minor supporting roles (initially credited as Seyfi Ölmez until 2005). His various roles include a memorable portrayal as a Bavarian-speaking taxi driver in Fatih Akin's "Gegen die Wand" ("Head-On", 2004), a blackmailer in the Munich-based "Tatort" episode "Einmal täglich" (2000), and a leading role as a film director in the Turkish tragicomedy "2 Süper Film Birden" (2006). Notable appearances include playing a police officer in the Austrian "Tatort" episode "Baum der Erlösung" (2009) and portraying a rabbi in Hal Hartley's American thriller "Fay Grim," as well as the best friend of the main character in Anno Saul's "Die Tür" ("The Door", 2009). Seyfi was also a member of the Munich improv theater group "Fastfood Theater" from 1998 to 2007.

On television, Seyfi held a regular role as an investigator in the crime series "Kommissar Marthaler" from 2012 to 2017. His versatility extended to roles such as a visitor to a Turkish gay bar in "Krüger aus Almanya" (2015), a drug gangster in the Berlin-based "Tatort" episode "Dunkelfeld" (2016), and a Viennese restaurateur in the culture-clash comedy "Kebab extra scharf!" (2017). In cinema, he played a Provençal drug baron in the French drama "Toril" (2016) and a Jewish Holocaust survivor in "Es war einmal in Deutschland …" ("Bye Bye Germany", 2017).

In 2016/17, Tim Seyfi starred in his own crime series titled "Kommissar Pascha," based on Su Turhan's novels, portraying a detective with Turkish migration background. Despite positive reviews, the series was canceled after two episodes due to low ratings.

In subsequent years, Seyfi continued his prolific career with roles in TV and streaming productions, such as portraying the title role in the docudrama "Atatürk - Vater der modernen Türkei" (DE/AT/FR 2018). He also appeared in the Netflix miniseries "The Spy" (FR/US 2019), portraying Muhammad bin Laden, father of the future terrorist Osama bin Laden, and played a villainous role in the Turkish Netflix fantasy series "Atiye" ("The Gift", 2019-2021).

In cinema, Seyfi had minor supporting roles in "Lindenberg! Mach dein Ding" (2020) and portrayed a kebab shop owner in "Die Känguru-Chroniken" (2020) and "Die Känguru-Verschwörung" (2022). Additionally, he appeared in several Turkish films and played a German boat captain in the British-American action film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" (2024).

In 2024, Tim Seyfi starred in Thomas Arslan's gangster film "Verbrannte Erde" ("Scorched Earth") in an important role as a former associate of Mišel Matičević's main character.