Öykü Karayel

Öykü Karayel — Biography

Öykü Karayel is an actress with a theater background who became known on television in Kuzey Güney and reached a far wider audience as Meryem in the Netflix series Bir Başkadır, released internationally as Ethos. More recently she has the lead in Özcan Deniz's Prime Video film Son Yemek and has joined the cast of the third season of the Irish-set series Kin.

She finished Çemberlitaş Girls' High School and, after short training at Kenter Theatre, entered the theater department of Istanbul University State Conservatory in 2007. Still a student, she won the part of Ayşe in the play Güzel Şeyler Bizim Tarafta; this first professional job brought her the Efes Special Award at the Sadri Alışık Awards and the Theatre Critics' Association young talent award. The performance caught the eye of screenwriter Ece Yörenç and producer Kerem Çatay, and in 2011 she appeared on screen as Cemre Çayak in Kuzey Güney. She went on to play İpek in Kara Para Aşk and Dilruba Sultan in Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem; in 2017 she took the part of Eylül Erdem in Kalp Atışı, followed by Muhteşem İkili and Kaderimin Oyunu.

In cinema she has appeared in Bulantı, Toz and Put Şeylere, and won best supporting actress (drama) at the Sadri Alışık Awards in 2018 for Canan in İşe Yarar Bir Şey. She has been married to singer Can Bonomo since 2018.