Tuğba Özay

Tuğba Özay is a high-profile Turkish model and a famous star in Turkey. She was elected the first runner-up in the [http://www.intmodel.com/1994-1995world.asp Miss Model of the World] contest in 1995. She is the highest paid model in Turkey and particularly famous for her long legs.

Early biography

Tuğba Özay was born in İstanbul on 10 February 1978. Her father, an award-winning author of textbooks and also a poet, was from Trabzon, and her mother, a teacher, is from Antalya, 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, plays for children and poems, as well as engaging in performing arts and sports. She did her secondary studies in Fenerbahçe High School and then registered in the Music and Theater Department of Haliç University, which she still attends between professional engagements.

Although more focused in the beginning towards sailing and swimming for full-time sports activities, she later switched to volleyball and played in the principal team of the top Turkish club of Fenerbahçe.

Career and achievements

In 1995, she was elected "Miss Model of Turkey", and then became the first runner-up to the [http://www.intmodel.com/1994-1995world.asp Miss Model of the World] in the final contest. She was also chosen as the contestant who had the best body. She pursued her modelling career in Paris for a brief period in 1996 but later chose to concentrate on a more Turkey-oriented career.

Landmarks of her career after 1996 can be summarized as follows:
* In 1997, she took a leading part opposite Mahsun Kırmızıgül in the TV series Hemşerim ("My countryman") and a supporting role in another TV series, Aynalı Tahir, the same year. She also presented a music programme in a TV channel.
* In 1998, she presented a programme on the automobile world on a TV channel.
* In 1999, she took part in the TV series "Çiçek Taksi"

In the following years, she played important parts in such TV series as "Zehirli Çiçek" ("Poisoned Flower"), "Yapayalnız" ("All alone") and "Bizim Otel" ("Our hotel").

Her first movie where she plays a peshmerge girl will be released in october 2008.

A landmark of her 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 on her own.

She is also immensely popular in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus where she was elected best model in 2001.

She recently resumed theater acting, somewhat neglected since her school years, "Dün Gece Ormanda Çok Komik Birşey Oldu" ("Something funny happened in the woods yesternight") under the famed theater director Ferhan Şensoy.

Miss Ozay was detained at Istanbul Airport on allegations relating to her boyfriend's invovlement with so called Turkish Mafia.Fact|date=June 2008 Miss Ozay was held in custody in Paşakapısı Prison in Turkey from August 2007. She was released from prison on 25 January 2008 after serving 167 days.Fact|date=June 2008

Miscellaneous

Tuğba Özay is a darling of magazine news media in Turkey with her tumultuous private life and a number of hazards she had to stand to, the most recent having to do with her farm in Manavgat and her pet cats lost to arsonists' fires that broke up in the region [http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/6856222.asp?gid=180] .

She released a fitness video which was extremely popular. She has been recently appointed as the director of a prestigious new nightclub in Istanbul called Beyoğlu "Elhamra Club". Two of her videos in YouTube have received more than 24 million hits and is one of the most viewed videos ever [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_Grdrx7t0] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xUzv6iZWo] . Tuğba is also an accomplished motorcycle rider.

Tuğba Özay openly declared several times that she has left leaning political views. She is a member of the center-left party CHP. She is also well known for her regular donations to various charities.

External links

* [http://www.tugbaozay.tv Official web site]