Ercan Kesal

Ercan Kesal — Biography

Ercan Kesal was born on 12 September 1959 in the Avanos district of Nevşehir; he completed primary school in Avanos and high school in Niğde and Nevşehir before graduating from Ege University's medical school in 1984. He practiced medicine for years at health clinics around Ankara, Keskin and Balâ, later completing a master's in applied psychology and a doctorate in social anthropology; as a student he published poems in the İzmir magazine Dönem. He began acting in 2002 in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Uzak, and his role in Üç Maymun brought him the Sadri Alışık award for best supporting actor in 2009, alongside a Yeşilçam award for the screenplay he co-wrote. Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da, which he wrote with Ebru and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, earned him SİYAD awards for both acting and screenplay and a 2011 Asia Pacific Screen Award nomination for best script. His performance in Yozgat Blues won him best-actor honors at both the Golden Boll and Istanbul film festivals in 2013. He wrote, directed and starred in Nasipse Adayız, adapted from his own book, and appeared on television in Kayıp Şehir, İçerde and as İdris Koçovalı in Çukur. Kesal has also published books including Peri Gazozu, Cin Aynası and Aslında..., and his 2025 film Öldürdüğün Şeyler was submitted as Canada's entry for that year's Oscars. He is married to actress Nazan Kesal.