Irem Altug started out as a child actress at the age of 7 by starring in TV commercials and films. Her first silver screen debut was in Women's Ward (1990), a film directed by the late Halit Refig. She has studied acting both in conservatory in Istanbul and at the theatre department of San Francisco State University.

Among her TV show performances are; a criminologist (Zeynep) in Seytan Ayrintida Gizlidir (2004), a belly dancer (Feride) in Under the Trees (2005), a young lawyer (Bahar) in Vazgeç gönlüm (2007), a police officer (Asya) in Kayip Araniyor (2011), a house maid (Reyhan) in Ask Ekmek Hayaller and a mysterious woman (Ruya) in Masum (2017).