Hilmi Yavuz was born in 1936 in Istanbul. He graduated from high school in Kabataş. He then went on to Istanbul University Faculty of Law. From 1957-1962 he worked as a reporter at the Vatan and Cumhuriyet newspapers. From 1962 to 1964 he worked as a secretary of foreign news. He won the Pulliam scholarship in 1960 and went to Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States and worked at the Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis News newspapers. He also worked at the Turkish division of the BBC news in London and has written for the Miliyet newspaper as well.