Demet Özdemir

Biography

Demet Özdemir (born 26 February 1992) is a Turkish actress and former dancer. She rose to international prominence with the romantic comedy television series Erkenci Kuş (2018–2019), which was broadcast internationally and contributed to the growing global popularity of Turkish television dramas. She has since starred in television dramas and streaming productions, including the Netflix film Love Tactics (2022) and Disney + miniseries Between the World and Us (Dunyayla Benim Aramda) (2022).

== Personal life == Özdemir was born on 26 February 1992 in İzmit, Kocaeli, and is the youngest of three children. She is of Bulgarian Turkish descent. Following her parents' separation, she moved to Istanbul with her mother and siblings. On 28 August 2022, she married musician and actor Oğuzhan Koç. They divorced on 8 May 2023.

== Dance career == Özdemir began her career as a dancer at the age of 16, working while continuing her studies to support her family. She worked as a backup dancer for singer Bengü and later joined the dance group Efes Kızları. She appeared in music videos for Mustafa Sandal ("Ateş Et ve Unut") and Bengü ("Hodri Meydan").

== Acting career ==

=== Early career (2013–2017) === Özdemir studied acting at Şahika Tekand Studio for two years (between 2011 and 2013). Özdemir made her acting debut in the 2013 fantasy series Sana Bir Sır Vereceğim alongside Ekin Koç, playing the Aylin. She later appeared as a supporting character, Alya, in the historical series Kurt Seyit ve Şura (2014). She appeared as Demet in the movie Tut Sözünü. In 2015, she had her first leading role in the romantic comedy series Çilek Kokusu. Between 2016 and 2017, she starred in No 309, one of her first long-running leading roles in a romantic comedy format. It ended on 25 October 2017 with 65 episodes. In 2017 she played in the dance-comedy film Sen Kiminle Dans Ediyorsun written by Burak Aksak, writer of the hit surreal comedy Leyla ile Mecnun.

=== Breakthrough and international success (2018–2019) === From 2018 to 2019, Özdemir starred as Sanem Aydın in the romantic comedy series Erkenci Kuş, opposite Can Yaman. The role marked her breakthrough as a leading actress in Turkish television. The series was broadcast internationally and contributed to the wider distribution of Turkish television dramas. Her performance earned her several awards, including Best Actress award at Murex d'Or in Lebanon. The series achieved notable popularity in Italy, where it aired daily on the national broadcaster Canale 5 and was later scheduled in prime-time slots following its success. Also, Pájaro soñador (Erkenci Kuş) became the first Turkish romantic comedy broadcast by UniMás in the United States. In Brazil, it stood out as Globoplay's most popular Turkish productions. She also performed the theme song "Günaydın" ("Good Morning"), composed by Cem Öget.

=== Transition to dramatic roles (2019-2021) === From 2019 to 2021, she played the lead role of Zeynep in the drama series Doğduğun Ev Kaderindir, which focused on themes of family and social issues. The series was directed by Çağrı Bayrak. The script was inspired by Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu's novel Camdaki Kız which is based on a true story. The series achieved broad international distribution, being licensed in more than 90 countries worldwide, and was later made available on streaming platforms including HBO Max.

=== Streaming projects (2022–2023) === In 2022, Özdemir starred in the Netflix romantic comedy film Love Tactics (Aşk Taktikleri ), which was released internationally. She played the lead role of Aslı Yıldırım alongside actor Şükrü Özyıldız. She also appeared in the internationally released Disney+ drama series Dunyayla Benim Aramda with Bugra Gülsoy, Hafsanur Sancaktutan, Zerrin Tekindor and Metin Akdülger. It follows the character of İlkin (Özdemir) who worries that the love of her life, a famous actor, is no longer in love with her. In 2023 the Netflix film Love tactics 2 (Aşk Taktikleri 2) was released as a sequel to Love Tactics.