Gupse Özay

Gupse Özay — Biography

Gupse Özay combines acting with screenwriting and directing. She became known on television as Nurhayat in Yalan Dünya, then made herself a leading presence in cinema through films she wrote herself, and in recent years has been among the creators behind the Netflix series Platonik: Mavi Dolunay Otel and the animated series Gupi.

Born in İzmir, she studied radio, television and cinema at Ege University. A documentary she made with friends during her student years, Yaman Yaşamışım, won an award, and she later worked four years as an advertising copywriter. The "psychologist" sketches she produced with friends led to a place in the cast of Yalan Dünya, and earned her several awards. In 2014 she moved into film with Deliha, which she wrote herself, followed by Küçük Esnaf and her own script Görümce. On Deliha 2 she took on the screenplay, the lead role and the direction together, and the film brought her the Golden Palm Awards' Film Actress of the Year. Eltilerin Savaşı (2020) and Lohusa (2024) followed.

From 2020 to 2022 she served as UN Women Turkey's spokesperson, and she has extended the Gupi brand into children's books and animation. She married Barış Arduç in Çeşme in 2020, and the couple have a daughter born in 2022.