Background
She grew up in Istanbul and finished her secondary education in Ankara, where she attended Atatürk High School for Girls.
She grew up in Istanbul and finished her secondary education in Ankara, where she attended Atatürk High School for Girls.
Altogether, she has acted in some 180 films. Koçyiğit"s father is a Muhajir from Bulgaria. She joined Istanbul City Theatre during her middle education.
She then enrolled in Ankara Academy of State Art"s ballet department for education in the arts
Koçyiğit decided to venture into cinema in 1963 after she was the runner-up in a beauty contest organized by the magazine Ses (literally: Sound). This honor was the first of its kind ever bestowed upon a Turkish movie.
Derman, a film she starred in was the first Turkish film that played in five continents. Kurbağalar, another of her famous films was the first Turkish movie that was sold to international televisions.
She received the distinction of "Turkish state artist" in 1991.
Lütfü Akad, Atıf Yılmaz, Şerif Gören, Metin Erksan, Orhan Aksoy, Memduh Ün, Ertem Eğilmez, Osman F. Seden, Halit Refiğ are some of the famous directors who have worked with Koçyiğlieutenant Her movies between 1965 and 1974, her golden period, constantly captivated movie audiences. She was recognizable in many countries like Algeria, Greece, Iran, Lebanon.
In 2009, she starred in the Turkish television adaptation of the famous American series, The Golden Girls.
Koçyiğit played the role originated by Bea Arthur. The couple has a daughter named Gülşah.