Okan Yalabık

Okan Yalabık — Biography

Okan Yalabık was born in Istanbul on 13 December 1978, the second child of a family originally from Balıkesir. After memorizing a cassette recording of a Ferhan Şensoy play that his older brother had brought home, he decided to become an actor, and in 1993 he helped found a drama club at his high school. Following Şişli Terakki and Sakıp Sabancı Anatolian High Schools, he entered the Theatre Department of Istanbul University's State Conservatory in 1997, completing it the next year, and afterward took a graduate degree in film and drama at Kadir Has University. He debuted on stage at Kenter Theatre in The Seagull and moved onto television with Kaygısızlar; after roles in Yılan Hikayesi, Avrupa Yakası and Serseri, playing Necdet in Hatırla Sevgili made his name familiar to a wide audience. His performance as Hasan in Av Mevsimi earned him best supporting actor at the 2010 Yeşilçam Awards, and the following year his Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha in Muhteşem Yüzyıl carried his name across the Arab world and into Latin America. He is also active in voice work, dubbing Nathan Drake for the Turkish version of Uncharted 3 and voicing Po in Kung Fu Panda 3. His later credits include the films Kolay Para, Annemin Yarası, Azizler and Mavi Mağara, and the series Vatanım Sensin, Masum, Hakan: Muhafız and Hekimoğlu, before he took the lead in the 2025 Netflix production Kasaba, directed by Seren Yüce.