Meral Okay (, née Katı; September 20, 1959 – April 9, 2012) was a Turkish
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, film producer and
screenwriter.
Early life
Okay was born on September 20, 1959 in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
to military judge Ata Katı and Türkan as the second child. During her childhood, she moved with her family across Turkey due to her father's duty. After completing the high school in Ankara, she began working at the governmental agency "Turkish Grain Board" ( tr, Toprak Mahsulleri Ofisi, TMO).
During the
1980 Turkish coup d'état era, she was a member of the socialist
Workers Party of Turkey
Workers' Party of Turkey (''Türkiye İşçi Partisi'') was a Turkish political party, founded the 13 February 1961. It became the first socialist party in Turkey to win representation in the national parliament. It was banned twice (after the mi ...
(TİP) and union spokesperson at her workplace.
In 1983, Meral Katı moved to
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
to enter the daily ''Günaydın''. She later contributed to the establishment of the publication company "İletişim", and took part in the team that prepared the Turkish edition of ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' magazin.
She married in 1984 to stage and movie actor
Yaman Okay
Yaman Okay (1951 – 19 February 1993) was a Turkish actor. He won the 1981 Golden Orange Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in '' On Fertile Lands''.
Okay was married since 1984 to actress and screenwriter Meral Okay. He died ...
, she had already met in Ankara. Her husband's profession paved her the way for entry into the world of cinema.
Career
Meral Okay became known for roles in Turkish
films and
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
.
She also produced the television series, ''
Second Spring'' from 1998 to 2001.
[ For one of her last projects, Okay worked as the main screenwriter for the historical soap opera, '']Muhteşem Yüzyıl
''Muhteşem Yüzyıl'' (, ) is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his ...
'', based on the life of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...
.[
]
Family life
Her husband Yaman Okay died in 1993 at the age of 41 from pancreatic cancer.[ In the summer months of 2011, Meral Okay was diagnosed with ]lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
. She died from complications of the disease on April 9, 2012, at the age of 52.Bebek Mosque
Bebek Mosque ( tr, Bebek Camii), officially Hümayûn-u Âbad Mosque ( ota, Hümayûn-u Âbad Cami for: Prosperous Imperial Mosque) is a 1913-built mosque located in Bebek neighborhood of Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey.
Bebek Mosque wa ...
, she was buried beside her husband's grave at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
__NOTOC__
The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery ( tr, Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground residing on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of polit ...
.
Filmography
Her notable works are:
As actress
As screenwriter
Other
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okay, Meral
1959 births
2012 deaths
Actresses from Ankara
Turkish people of Circassian descent
Turkish film actresses
Turkish television actresses
Turkish women film producers
Turkish female screenwriters
20th-century Turkish actresses
21st-century Turkish actresses
21st-century Turkish screenwriters
Deaths from lung cancer in Turkey
Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery