Arzu Okay

Arzu Okay — Biography

Arzu Okay became known as one of the most sought-after actresses of the erotic comedies and adventure films of 1970s Yeşilçam. Her route into cinema ran through a newspaper contest, and she was soon on the posters of dozens of films; after leaving cinema she went into the leather trade in Paris and now lives in France.

Okay did not finish Mecidiyeköy High School, and in 1969 she acted with Zeki Müren in a photo-novel. In 1970 she won a contest run by the newspaper Saklambaç, placed fourth in a contest in Italy and was named Sinema Yüz Güzeli. She entered cinema with Ölünceye Kadar, sharing the lead with Ayhan Işık. In her first years she appeared in films such as İpini Boynunda Bil, Zapata, Ali Cengiz Oyunu, Cennetin Kapısı and Uyanık Kardeşler. Between 1975 and 1977 she reached her busiest period, with Sütü Bozuk, Kucaktan Kucağa, Tepedeki Ev, Avrupa Macerası and Tatlı Melek among the films of these years. She made her name as a vamp in the sex-film wave of the period, working with names such as Ali Poyrazoğlu and Bülent Kayabaş.

After her film years she worked as a singer and toured Anatolia with a line-up that included İbrahim Tatlıses. In 1984 she settled in Paris and set up a business as a leather dealer; she won an award for an export record in the trade she turned to. In 2012 she received an Honorary Award at the Gezici Filmmor Women's Film Festival, in 2015 she took the lead in Yemekteydik ve Karar Verdim, and in 2017 she returned to the stage in the play Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz.