Okan Yalabik was born on December 13, 1978, in Istanbul, Turkey, as the second child of a family originating from Balikesir. He was raised with an interest in acting, which was sparked by his brother Ozan, who introduced him to a cassette of Ferhan Sensoy's movie Ferhangi Seyler. Yalabik memorized every line of the movie and became determined to pursue a career in acting.
He attended Macka Primary School and later transferred to Sisli Terakki High School, where he helped establish the school's theater department with the help of Cengiz Deveci. Yalabik continued his education at Sakip Sabanci Anadolu High School and eventually enrolled in Istanbul University State Conservatory in 1997 to study theater.
His early roles included appearances in various plays at Kenter Theater, such as Nukte, Sirca Kumes, and Inishmorelu Yuzbasi. He also appeared in Orhan Hakalmaz's music clip Su Kislanin Kapisina and a commercial for Robert Bosch GmbH's Turkey branch.
Yalabik's breakthrough role came in 2010, when he played Hasan in Yavuz Turgul's movie Av Mevsimi, earning him the "Best Supporting Actor" award at the 4th Yesilcam Awards. He also took part in Kadir Has University's Film and Drama Graduate Program that year.
In 2011, he portrayed Pargali Ibrahim Pasha in the historical TV series Muhtesem Yuzyil, a role that was cut short due to his character's death on the 82nd episode. He continued to appear in various TV series, including Yilan Hikayesi, Serseri, and Hatirla Sevgili.
In 2015, Yalabik was cast in ATV's Analar ve Anneler, but the series was cancelled after nine episodes due to low ratings. He then appeared in the movie Annemin Yarasi, which explored the effects of the Balkan Wars, and voiced characters in the animation film Kotu Kedi Serafettin.
Yalabik continued his theater career, appearing in productions such as The 39 Steps in Turkey. He also played the role of Hekimoglu in a TV series from 2019 to 2020 and appeared in the movie Azizler in 2021.
