Okan Bayülgen was born on March 23rd, 1964 in Istanbul, Turkey, as the son of a lawyer father and a painter mother. After graduation from the Galatasaray High School, which is one of the most renowned and influential high schools in Turkey, he moved to France to study photography. At the Tours University in France he initially started studying law, but later transferred to the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. After a year studying economics, he returned to Turkey and attended the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts. In 1989 he graduated with a bachelor`s degree and later also earned a master`s degree from the Mimar Sinan University.

Bayülgen started his career as the youngest director of the State Theatre in 1989, where he also worked as an actor. In 1991 he began his broadcasting career by hosting his own radio show at Kent FM. He quit the State Theater of Trabzon shortly after having been appointed to it due to the cancellation of his first play by the executives of the theater.

He took part in the American TV series "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (1992) while it was filming in Istanbul.

After a successful radio career, Bayülgen created his own late-night TV show called "Gece Kusu" (The Night Bird) in 1995, bringing him to fame. In 1996 he hosted a new late-night TV show called "Televizyon çocugu" (Television Kid). After a two-year break, he returned to the TV-screens with a show called "ZAGA", which also instantly became a success.

In 2004 he created an intellectual show program called "Herkes Bunu Konusuyor" (Everybody Is Talking about this). In 2005 he created and hosted the late-night TV show "Televizyon Makinasi" (Television Machine), a revolutionary TV concept on Turkish television.

Bayülgen`s acting career started in 1996 with the movie "Istanbul Kanatlarimin Altinda". In 1997 he won the Sadri Alisik Acting Awards` Best Actor Award for his role in "Agir Roman". He is also one of the most popular dubbing performers of Turkey. Additionally, Bayülgen is also a well-known photographer.