İlay Erkök

İlay Erkök — Biography

İlay Erkök is an actress who reached a wide audience as Yaren Şadoğlu in the series Hercai, which began airing on ATV in 2019. In 2024 it was reported that she had moved to Italy.

Born in Istanbul and originally from Manisa, Erkök was a licensed volleyball player when she appeared on stage in the program Arkadaşım Hoşgeldin, and turned to acting after that performance. She studied in the Theatre Department of the İstanbul University State Conservatory and also trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Her first screen appearance came while she was still a student, as the young Demet in Güneşi Beklerken (2013), which starred Kerem Bürsin and Hande Doğandemir. Her first breakthrough role was Damla in İnadına Aşk (2015-2016), broadcast on FOX and starring Can Yaman and Açelya Topaloğlu. She went on to play Sezen in Hayatımın Aşkı (2016), Ayşen in the television film Çetin Ceviz 2 and Nur in Darısı Başımıza (2018). She entered cinema in 2017 as Elif in Seni Gidi Seni, and took a part in İlk Öpücük the same year.

In Hercai she acted alongside Akın Akınözü, Ebru Şahin and Oya Unustası. After it she appeared in the television film Merkez (2022) and the feature film Oyun Bitti (2023). In September 2025 she appeared in Venice in an Armani design.