Tugba Özay
Encyclopedia
Tuğba Özay is a very high-profile Turkish
model
-turned-singer and a famous star in Turkey. She was elected the first runner-up in the Miss Model of the World contest in 1995. She was the highest paid model in Turkey, being particularly famous for her long legs.
on February 10, 1978. Her mother, a teacher and an author of textbooks specializing in mathematics
and economics
, is from Antalya
and her father, also an award-winning author of textbooks used in primary schools across Turkey, as well as being a poet and a man of literature, is from Trabzon
, making her, in her words "a blend of the Mediterranean
and the Black Sea
".
Raised in a family where education was the governing spirit, Tuğba Özay developed multiple interests since childhood, writing stories and plays for children as well as poetry, and all at the same time engaging in performing arts
and sports. She started her theatre education at the age of seven in Kadıköy
Public Education Centre's Experimental Stage, which she continues until she was fourteen. During this period she was also active in writing many plays
and screenplays, showing these to her teachers.
She did her secondary studies in Fenerbahçe High School and then registered in the Conservatory -music and theater- Department of Haliç University
, which she still attends between professional engagements.
In sports, she was a professional swimmer in Galatasaray
for about ten years and then she became a trainer
there for a time. But since she was too young then, the ambition for becoming a swimming trainer faded soon. However, after having been discovered by Fenerbahçe, she made a switch to volleyball
and played volleyball professionally for about five years.
Tuğba is also an accomplished motorcycle
rider. Since the age of eight she can drive a race motorcycle. She is also an expert in paragliding
and Muay Thai
. She took diving training at Istanbul Sailing Club. She retained an interested in arts also through this period and attended ballet
and guitar
courses in Istanbul University
State Conservatory. During her school years she received a number of titles in art, music and writing competitions.
, the national public broadcaster of Turkey.
In 1995, she was elected "Miss Model of Turkey", and then became the first runner-up to the Miss Model of the World in the final contest. She was also chosen in the contest as the contestant who had the best body. She pursued her modelling career in Paris
for seven months in 1996 but later chose to concentrate on a more Turkey
-oriented career. Following her return to Turkey, she made a contract with the panties
brand Müjde Parizien and she became the "Parizien Leg Girl" for three years.
Tuğba Özay is still one of the busiest models of Turkey and is often referred to as "the Model of the Public" since she easily mixes with the crowds.
and through his advice and suggestions, she played important roles in such TV series as "Zehirli Çiçek" (Poisoned Flower), "Yapayalnız" (All Alone), "Bizim Hotel" (Our Hotel) and "Çiçek Taksi" in the following years. Pursuing her modelling career at the same time as starring in TV series, she soon became one of the wealthiest in her profession in Turkey, as well as one of her profession's leading taxpayers. She also received numerous awards as a model. It was around this time that her biography and lifestyle was covered by a team from BBC Television
for a programme in the cycle of This World
series in which she was the representative from Turkey, alongside prominent political figures from other Islamic countries.
Another landmark of her television career came when she took part in the Turkish
version of the gameshow The Wheel of Fortune
assisting the presenter Mehmet Ali Erbil
. She also presented two other entertainment shows of her own.
She resumed theater acting, somewhat neglected since her school years, in the 2000s. She had a part in "Dün Gece Ormanda Çok Komik Birşey Oldu" (Something funny happened in the woods yesternight) under the nationally famed theater director Ferhan Şensoy
and the play was a success. She pursued her theatre career with the play "Tanıştırayım, Burası Türkiye" (Let Me Introduce You to Turkey), a cabaret
for which she had chosen the title herself and in which she also sang a song. The play was performed by the private group Abdullah Şahin Nokta Theatre and it was also well received by the audiences.
in Turkey and consequently Tuğba had a busy schedule of signature days across the country and also in Europe during the period following her custodial service.
video called "Fitness with Tuğba Özay" which sold around 30.000 copies. This work is still in the market. After a while she published a catalogue named "Best of Tuğba Özay" to mark her tenth anniversary in her modelling career. This work is the first and still the only one of its kind in its field in Turkey. With the catalogue's revenues, Tuğba Özay financed the reconstruction of a school in the town of Çubuk near Ankara
which was destroyed by a 2004 hurricane disaster. For this action she was honoured and awarded by Turkey's Minister of National Education
of the time.
when she became the first international artist to have succeeded in obtaining a permission for shooting a video clip
in one of the palaces of the country's ex-dictator.
In the first month of the same year she was back on television, representating Turkey's modern profile in a documentary prepared by SF (Schweizer Fernsehen
), the Swiss
television network. She has also been invited to Israel
to play a role in television ads and for interviews.
Also in 2009, she made a notable appearance on the catwalk
as the head model during a night organized by Prince Albert of Monaco featuring works by the South Africa
n clothes designer Terrence Bray, in an event which was widely covered by the press.
, from Turkey's center-left political spectrum, and declares her left leaning opinions openly, as well as her strong views on hot topics in Turkey's political agenda such as the headscarf controversy
and secularism
. She is also well known for her regular donations to various charities.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
-turned-singer and a famous star in Turkey. She was elected the first runner-up in the Miss Model of the World contest in 1995. She was the highest paid model in Turkey, being particularly famous for her long legs.
Early biography
Özay was born in İstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
on February 10, 1978. Her mother, a teacher and an author of textbooks specializing in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, is from Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
and her father, also an award-winning author of textbooks used in primary schools across Turkey, as well as being a poet and a man of literature, is from Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, making her, in her words "a blend of the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
".
Raised in a family where education was the governing spirit, Tuğba Özay developed multiple interests since childhood, writing stories and plays for children as well as poetry, and all at the same time engaging in performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
and sports. She started her theatre education at the age of seven in Kadıköy
Kadiköy
Kadıköy is a large, populous, and cosmopolitan district of İstanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the Sea of Marmara, facing the historic city centre on the European side of the Bosporus...
Public Education Centre's Experimental Stage, which she continues until she was fourteen. During this period she was also active in writing many plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
and screenplays, showing these to her teachers.
She did her secondary studies in Fenerbahçe High School and then registered in the Conservatory -music and theater- Department of Haliç University
Haliç University
Haliç University is a foundation university, which was founded in 1998 by the Children Leukemia Foundation, which obtained much love and respect both in Turkey and over the world as a result of the remarkable works it has carried out successfully for 25 years....
, which she still attends between professional engagements.
In sports, she was a professional swimmer in Galatasaray
Galatasaray Swimming
Galatasaray Swimming Team is the men's and women's swimming section of Galatasaray S.K., a major sports club in Istanbul, Turkey.-Technical and Managerial Staff:-Current squad:-Domestic success:*Turkish Summer Championship:...
for about ten years and then she became a trainer
Athletic trainer
An athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
there for a time. But since she was too young then, the ambition for becoming a swimming trainer faded soon. However, after having been discovered by Fenerbahçe, she made a switch to volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and played volleyball professionally for about five years.
Tuğba is also an accomplished motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
rider. Since the age of eight she can drive a race motorcycle. She is also an expert in paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
and Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
. She took diving training at Istanbul Sailing Club. She retained an interested in arts also through this period and attended ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
courses in Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
State Conservatory. During her school years she received a number of titles in art, music and writing competitions.
Early career in fashion
Tuğba Özay took her first steps into the world of fashion in a non-professional manner, having been selected in 1994 for a fashion show by the designer Ayla Eryüksel, well known in Turkey. Tuğba was soon remarked and shortly afterwards she started her truly professional career in fashion with a show by the Turkish clothing brand Vakko. In the same year of 1994, she also appeared on the TV serial "Sonradan Görmeler" (The Upstarts) broadcast on TRTTurkish Radio and Television Corporation
The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, also known as TRT , is the national public broadcaster of Turkey and was founded in 1964. Around 70% of TRT's funding comes from a tax levied on electricity bills and a sales tax on television and radio receivers...
, the national public broadcaster of Turkey.
In 1995, she was elected "Miss Model of Turkey", and then became the first runner-up to the Miss Model of the World in the final contest. She was also chosen in the contest as the contestant who had the best body. She pursued her modelling career in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for seven months in 1996 but later chose to concentrate on a more Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
-oriented career. Following her return to Turkey, she made a contract with the panties
Panties
Panties are a form of underwear, usually light and snug-fitting, designed to be worn by women or girls in the area directly below the waist. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genital area , and a pair of leg openings which, like the waistband, are often...
brand Müjde Parizien and she became the "Parizien Leg Girl" for three years.
Tuğba Özay is still one of the busiest models of Turkey and is often referred to as "the Model of the Public" since she easily mixes with the crowds.
TV series
In 1997 and 1998, Tuğba Özay starred in the TV serials "Hemşerim" (My Countryman) and "Aynalı Tahir". At the end of 1999 she was noticed by the respected Turkish film director Türker İnanoğluTürker Inanoglu
Türker İnanoğlu is a Turkish screenwriter, film director and producer.-Life:...
and through his advice and suggestions, she played important roles in such TV series as "Zehirli Çiçek" (Poisoned Flower), "Yapayalnız" (All Alone), "Bizim Hotel" (Our Hotel) and "Çiçek Taksi" in the following years. Pursuing her modelling career at the same time as starring in TV series, she soon became one of the wealthiest in her profession in Turkey, as well as one of her profession's leading taxpayers. She also received numerous awards as a model. It was around this time that her biography and lifestyle was covered by a team from BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
for a programme in the cycle of This World
This World (television programme)
This World is a BBC television documentary strand, shown in the United Kingdom on BBC Two, and occasionally internationally on BBC World. The subject matter is mainly social issues and current affairs stories from around the world....
series in which she was the representative from Turkey, alongside prominent political figures from other Islamic countries.
Another landmark of her television career came when she took part in the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
version of the gameshow The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a concept in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna, who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel - some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls...
assisting the presenter Mehmet Ali Erbil
Mehmet Ali Erbil
Mehmet Ali Erbil is a Turkish comedian, actor and talk show host.-Biography:Mehmet Ali was born in Istanbul, Turkey, as the son of Saadettin Erbil, a theatre and film actor, in 1957. He is the grandson of Mehmed Efendi and the great-grandson of Mehmed Esad Erbilî.He completed his primary and...
. She also presented two other entertainment shows of her own.
She resumed theater acting, somewhat neglected since her school years, in the 2000s. She had a part in "Dün Gece Ormanda Çok Komik Birşey Oldu" (Something funny happened in the woods yesternight) under the nationally famed theater director Ferhan Şensoy
Ferhan Sensoy
Ferhan Şensoy is a prominent Turkish playwright, actor and stage director.-Personal background:Ferhan Şensoy was born in Çarşamba, Samsun Province, where he attended Gazi Osman Paşa Preliminary School. His mother, Müjgan Şensoy, was a primary school teacher and his father, Yusuf Cemil Şensoy, was...
and the play was a success. She pursued her theatre career with the play "Tanıştırayım, Burası Türkiye" (Let Me Introduce You to Turkey), a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
for which she had chosen the title herself and in which she also sang a song. The play was performed by the private group Abdullah Şahin Nokta Theatre and it was also well received by the audiences.
2007 ordeals
At the peak of her career in 2007, complicated series of events led to her being sentenced to imprisonmen. She spent five and a half months in Istanbul's Paşakapısı Prison for Women and Juveniles. She was productive even in prison, where she kept a regular diary, on the basis of which she published her prison souvenirs in novelized form, titled "Bedel" (The Pay Off), soon after her release in June 2008. The book was a bestsellerBestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
in Turkey and consequently Tuğba had a busy schedule of signature days across the country and also in Europe during the period following her custodial service.
Fitness video
Another pioneering step for Turkey taken by Tuğba Özay was the release of a fitnessPhysical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
video called "Fitness with Tuğba Özay" which sold around 30.000 copies. This work is still in the market. After a while she published a catalogue named "Best of Tuğba Özay" to mark her tenth anniversary in her modelling career. This work is the first and still the only one of its kind in its field in Turkey. With the catalogue's revenues, Tuğba Özay financed the reconstruction of a school in the town of Çubuk near Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
which was destroyed by a 2004 hurricane disaster. For this action she was honoured and awarded by Turkey's Minister of National Education
Ministry of National Education (Turkey)
The Ministry of National Education is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for the supervision of public and private educational system, agreements and authorizations under a national curriculum....
of the time.
Feature film "Saddam's Soldiers"
Her first feature movie, "Saddam's Soldiers" (Saddam'ın Askerleri), in which she plays the leading role of was released in 2009. Back in 2003, Tuğba had already made the headlines in relation to IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
when she became the first international artist to have succeeded in obtaining a permission for shooting a video clip
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
in one of the palaces of the country's ex-dictator.
In the first month of the same year she was back on television, representating Turkey's modern profile in a documentary prepared by SF (Schweizer Fernsehen
Schweizer Fernsehen
Schweizer Fernsehen is the German language division of SRG SSR, in charge of production and distribution of television programmes in German for German-speaking Switzerland...
), the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
television network. She has also been invited to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to play a role in television ads and for interviews.
Marriage
She got married to Italian businessman Ludovic Fattizzo on 12 May 2009 in Milano.Also in 2009, she made a notable appearance on the catwalk
Runway (fashion)
Runway or catwalk describes a narrow, usually flat platform that runs into an auditorium, used by models to demonstrate clothing and accessories during a fashion show In fashion jargon, "what's on the catwalk" or similar phrasing can refer to whatever is new and popular in fashion.- Exclusive...
as the head model during a night organized by Prince Albert of Monaco featuring works by the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n clothes designer Terrence Bray, in an event which was widely covered by the press.
Music album
Her first album, called "Harmony," was released in February 2010 after one year in preparations and contains sixteen songs, fourteen of which she wrote. The two other songs were written by her father İlhan Özay.Political views
Tuğba Özay is a member of CHPRepublican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
, from Turkey's center-left political spectrum, and declares her left leaning opinions openly, as well as her strong views on hot topics in Turkey's political agenda such as the headscarf controversy
Headscarf controversy in Turkey
Turkey has been a secular state since it was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923. He introduced the secularization of the state in the Turkish Constitution of 1924, alongside Atatürk's Reforms. These were in accordance with the Kemalist Ideology, with a strict appliance of laicite in the...
and secularism
Secularism in Turkey
Secularism in Turkey defines the relationship between religion and state in the country of Turkey. Secularism was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam", and with the later reforms of...
. She is also well known for her regular donations to various charities.