Tuğba Özay

Early Life and Education

Tuğba Özay (born February 10, 1978, in Istanbul) is a Turkish actress, model, and singer.

Her father, Ilhan Özay (1954-2023), was a writer and poet from Trabzon, while her mother was from Antalya. Özay received a strict education and developed multiple interests from childhood, including writing stories, poetry, and creating games for children.

She attended Fenerbahçe High School and later enrolled in the Department of Music and Theatre at the University of Haliç. During her university years, she was also part of a sports club where she excelled in swimming, and played volleyball for Fenerbahçe's team for five years.

Career

Özay began her career as a model with a Vakko fashion show in 1994. She then appeared in the TV series "Sonradan Görmeler" (Later Views), playing the role of a swimming coach.

In 1995, she was crowned Miss Model of Turkey and later became the second runner-up at the Miss Model of the World competition, where she also received the award for Best Body Model. In 1996, Özay started her modeling career in Paris but returned to Turkey the same year to focus on launching her career in the country.

Personal Life

Özay comes from a family with a strong literary background and has followed in her father's footsteps as a writer of lecture books that have won awards.