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).
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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.
Projects since 2023
In 2023, she starred in Adım Farah opposite to Engin Akyürek. Adım Farah is adaption of the award-winning Argentinian series La Chica Que Limpia. For her role as Farah, Özdemir was awarded the 2025 PRODU award for Best Actress in a Contemporary Non-Spanish Language Telenovela.
Since March 2025, she has been portraying the lead character Nisan Akyol alongside Çağatay Ulusoy (Eşref Tek) in the TV series Eşref Rüya. The character Nisan Akyol is a singer and because of that Özdemir has performed several songs in the series, including "Aşiyan" (lyrics and composition by Afra, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli). Özdemir together with singer Afra released the song "Şimdi Böyle Biriymiş" (lyrics and composition by Afra, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli).
On 18 September 2025, Özdemir released a single "Ah Yar" by Tiizz Records with lyrics and music by Zeynep Melisa Gülen, arrangement by Mustafa Ceceli. On 2 January 2026 Özdemir released a single "Gözü Kara" by Tiizz Records & Demet Özdemir with lyrics and music by Zeynep Melisa Gülen, arrangement by Bertin Yıldız and video by Meryem Baburoğlu. She performed the both songs as part of the soundtrack for Eşref Rüya.
In 2026, Özdemir released a cover of "Kime Zarar" as part of Eda & Metin Özülkü Şarkıları, a tribute project celebrating songwriters Eda and Metin Özülkü's 50th anniversary in music, in which around 30 actors recorded new interpretations of the duo's songs.
In 2024, Özdemir appeared as Ceren in Djinn Wedding (Turkish Cinlerin Düğünü), directed by Ferit Karahan. In 2026, the film was selected for the Platform Competition at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it is scheduled to have its world premiere.
International recognition
She received the Best Actress award at the 2019 Murex d’Or Awards for her role in Erkenci Kuş.
In September 2023 Özdemir participated in the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival where she received the Kinéo Award for Best International Actress for the series Kurt Seyit ve Şura, and the movies Love Tactics and Love Tactics 2.
In November 2024 Özdemir was awarded during the 8th Edition of the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards - DIAFA 2024 with an honorary award for her professional career as Best International Actress.
For her role as Farah, Özdemir was awarded the 2025 PRODU award for Best Actress in a Contemporary Non-Spanish Language Telenovela.
Public image
Özdemir has been associated with television, fashion, and advertising campaigns in Turkey and internationally. Between 2019 and 2024, she appeared in campaigns associated with Pantene Turkey and participated in projects related to women's self-confidence and social awareness
She has also presented and hosted in segments of the Pantene Golden Butterfly Awards ceremony, one of Turkey’s major television and music award events.
Following the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, Özdemir took part in charity and aid initiatives supporting earthquake victims.
Özdemir has appeared in international entertainment and fashion publications, including ''Elle'', ''Madame Arabia'', and Özdemir has appeared in international entertainment and fashion publications, including Elle, Madame Arabia, and No Manners Magazine.
She was part of the jury of the 21st Cinema of the Future Competition (Geleceğin Sineması Yarışması), which was organized with contributions from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and aims to discover new talents of cinema.
