Cihat Tamer

Cihat Tamer — Biography

Born Ahmet Cihat Tamer to a family with roots in Rize, the actor was born in Istanbul, though sources give conflicting years, 1942 or 1943, and days, the 24th or the 26th. After graduating from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, he began acting as an amateur at Bakırköy Halkevi in 1959, and from 1961 he worked with a succession of companies, including Münir Özkul Tiyatrosu, Bulvar Tiyatrosu, Üç Maymun Kabare, Devekuşu Kabare, Üsküdar Oyuncuları and Dostlar Tiyatrosu; he later co-founded a theatre company with fellow actor Ercan Yazgan and became a member of the Association of Contemporary Cinema Actors (ÇASOD).

He entered cinema in 1971 with Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş and, over a career spanning more than sixty years, appeared in hundreds of films and series, becoming widely known for his roles in Perihan Abla and Bizimkiler as well as the play Yasaklar. Beyond Mahallenin Muhtarları (1992) and Uzun Hikaye (2012), he continued working into the 2020s in productions such as Paranoya, Canım Dayım, İyilik and Kraliçe.

In 2024 he lost his son, Atilla Tamer, and spoke publicly to the press about his grief.