Erol Günaydın (16 April 1933 – 15 October 2012) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

theater and film actor, as well as a renowned showman famous particularly for his portrayal of

Nasreddin Hoca Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (other variants include: Mullah Nasreddin Hooja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin) (1208-1285) is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from Arabia to Central Asia ...

and his performances in the traditional Turkish meddah ( one man shows).

Biography

In 1955 was played in Haldun Dormen Pocket Theater, "The priest ran away" from a professional actor began his career with the game. In theater since 1955 and in cinema since 1960, he recently celebrated his

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

together with the fortieth anniversary of his marriage with spouse Güneş Günaydın, a native of

Manisa Manisa (), historically known as Magnesia, is a city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province. Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port cit ...

, in company of his children, one of whom married into an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

family. Erol Günaydın was born in

Akçaabat Akçaabat is a town and district of Trabzon Province in the Black Sea Region, Turkey, Black Sea region of Turkey. It is located to the west of the city of Trabzon. It covers an area of and the elevation is . The town has an estimated population o ...

Trabzon Province Trabzon Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey on the Black Sea coast. Located in a strategically important region, Trabzon is one of the oldest trade port cities in Anatolia. Neighbouring provinces are Giresun to the west, Gümüşhane to the ...

, and became involved in theater while he was a student in

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

. He played in a very varied range of plays and character roles in films since then and became nationally famous especially once he also started appearing in TV shows on a frequent basis, first as the Turkish voice of

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

, and then in his

and meddah shows, with also a leading role in the very successful TV serial "''Çiçek Taxi''". He is one of the best known faces in Turkey's world of performing arts. His memoirs, put in writing in the form of long interview with the journalist Emine Algan, were published in 2007. He also voiced Carl Fredericksen in the Turkish dub of the 2009

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

film Up.

Death

Erol Günaydın died on 15 October 2012 in a hospital in Istanbul. On 24 August he had been admitted to hospital with

dyspnea Shortness of breath (SOB), also medically known as dyspnea (in AmE) or dyspnoea (in BrE), is an uncomfortable feeling of not being able to breathing, breathe well enough. The American Thoracic Society defines it as "a subjective experience of brea ...

, in an intensive care unit in

Bodrum Bodrum () is a port city in Muğla Province, southwestern Turkey, at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Its population was 35,795 at the 2012 census, with a total of 136,317 inhabitants residing within the district's borders. Known in ancient t ...

. Being without consciousness, Günaydın was transferred to Istanbul by air ambulance on 22 September. Günaydın's death was announced by his daughter Günfer Günaydın in her Twitter feed. He was laid to rest at the

Feriköy Cemetery The Feriköy Cemetery ( tr, Feriköy Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated in Feriköy quarter of Şişli district on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the ...

, Istanbul.

References

* Who is Who database
''Biography of Erol Günaydın''

External links

* 1Turkis
Erol Günaydın's Biography
1933 births 2012 deaths Turkish male stage actors Turkish male film actors People from Akçaabat Best Screenplay Golden Orange Award winners Best Supporting Actor Golden Orange Award winners Galatasaray High School alumni Burials at Feriköy Cemetery {{Turkey-actor-stub