Gupse Özay

Gupse Özay — Biography

Gupse Özay was born on 30 July 1984 in İzmir, the youngest child of a family of Circassian descent; her name means "the essence of my soul" in Circassian. She graduated from the Radio, Television and Cinema Department of Ege University, and while a student won an award for the documentary Yaman Yaşamışım, made with friends. After several years as an advertising copywriter she moved into television; comedy sketches she made with friends led to a role in Yalan Dünya (2012), where her character Nurhayat brought her wide recognition.

She moved into cinema with Deliha (2014), which she wrote and starred in, followed by Küçük Esnaf (2016) and Görümce (2016), which she also scripted; with Deliha 2 (2018), which she wrote, directed and starred in, she made her directing debut. She also wrote and starred in Eltilerin Savaşı (2020), and served as a spokesperson for UN Women Turkey from 2020 to 2022. Married to actor Barış Arduç since 2020 and the mother of a daughter, she launched the Netflix series Platonik: Mavi Dolunay Otel and the animated series Gupi in 2025.