Okan Yalabık

Okan Yalabık is a Turkish actor celebrated for Pargalı İbrahim Pasha in Magnificent Century, the political drama Hatırla Sevgili and his award-winning role in Yavuz Turgul’s Av Mevsimi. He was born in Istanbul in 1978 to a family from Balıkesir.

Early life and training

Yalabık caught the acting bug as a child after memorising every line of Ferhan Şensoy’s Ferhangi Şeyler. In high school he helped found the theatre department of Sakıp Sabancı Anatolian High School. He studied theatre at the Istanbul University State Conservatory from 1997 and later earned a master’s in film and drama at Kadir Has University.

Career

He made his stage debut in 1998 at the Kenter Theatre as Martı and appeared there in Nükte, Sırça Kümes and İnishmorelu Yüzbaşı. He has acted in more than twenty films since 2001, including Gülüm and Kolay Para.

On TV he appeared in the crime hit Yılan Hikayesi and Serseri, then starred with Beren Saat in the political drama Hatırla Sevgili and its follow-up Bu Kalp Seni Unutur mu. In 2010 his role as Hasan in Av Mevsimi won him Best Supporting Actor at the 4th Yeşilçam Awards.

His portrayal of İbrahim Pasha, the brilliant grand vizier and friend of Sultan Süleyman, in Magnificent Century made him famous across the world, alongside Meryem Uzerli.

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