Günay Karacaoğlu

Günay Karacaoğlu — Biography

On television, in film and on stage, Turkish actress Günay Karacaoğlu is best known for comedy roles. She is most closely associated with Gonca in the series Yarım Elma and with period-parody films such as Kahpe Bizans and Deli Dumrul. Working across theater, cinema, television and commercials, she has been active since 1994.

She began acting in 1994, while still studying at the Müjdat Gezen Art Center, as Hasene in the series Şehnaz Tango. In the early 2000s she played Önem in Yeditepe İstanbul, Zakkum in Bayanlar Baylar and then Gonca in Yarım Elma, and in cinema Yazgülü in Abuzer Kadayıf and Anaç Hatun in Kahpe Bizans. In the 2010s she twice shared the screen with Tuba Büyüküstün, as Gülnaz in Gönülçelen and Akrep in 20 Dakika, then played Elmas in Roman Havası and Şükran in Hayati ve Diğerleri. Later she played Zümrüt Korfalı in Aşk Mantık İntikam and Seher in Korkma Ben Yanındayım.

The stage is the second pillar of her career. In 2009 she was named best actress in a comedy role at the Muhsin Ertuğrul, Sadri Alışık and Afife Jale theater awards, and in 2018 she won an audience-voted best comedy performer award for the play Artiz Mektebi at the Müjdat Gezen Theatre. In 2019 she performed the one-woman show Aşk Ölsün. Born in Kayseri, she moved to Istanbul with her family in 1976; a best-actor prize at an inter-school theater festival in her school years gave her confidence. She is the mother of a daughter.