Okan Bayülgen was born on March 23rd, 1964, in Istanbul, Turkey, to a lawyer father and a painter mother. He attended Galatasaray High School, one of the most renowned and influential high schools in Turkey, before moving to France to study photography.
Initially, Bayülgen started studying law at the Tours University in France, but later transferred to the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. After a year of studying economics, he returned to Turkey and attended the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1989. He later earned a master's degree from the same university.
Bayülgen began his career as the youngest director of the State Theatre in 1989, where he also worked as an actor. However, he quit the State Theater of Trabzon shortly after being appointed due to the cancellation of his first play by the executives.
In 1991, he started his broadcasting career by hosting his own radio show at Kent FM. He then took part in the American TV series "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" while it was filming in Istanbul in 1992.
After a successful radio career, Bayülgen created his own late-night TV show called "Gece Kusu" (The Night Bird) in 1995, which brought him fame. He then hosted a new late-night TV show called "Televizyon Çocugu" (Television Kid) in 1996. After a two-year break, he returned to TV screens with a show called "ZAGA", which also became an instant success.
In 2004, he created an intellectual show program called "Herkes Bunu Konusuyor" (Everybody Is Talking about This). He then created and hosted the late-night TV show "Televizyon Makinasi" (Television Machine) in 2005, a revolutionary TV concept on Turkish television.
Bayülgen's acting career started in 1996 with the movie "Istanbul Kanatlarimin Altinda". He won the Sadri Alisik Acting Awards' Best Actor Award for his role in "Agir Roman" in 1997. He is also a well-known dubbing performer in Turkey and a skilled photographer.
