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Erol Taş
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Broers, F.N. / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

Erol Taş

Actor · died at 72

Profile

Age at death72
Birth dateFebruary 28, 1926
BirthplaceErzurum
DiedNovember 8, 1998
Place of deathIstanbul, Turkey
ProfessionActor
Zodiac signPisces

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Filmography / Projects

Erol Taş — Biography

Sources give Erol Taş's birth year as either 1926 or 1928; he was born in Erzurum, one of seven children, and according to his daughter the family's roots lay in the Patnos district of Ağrı. After his father died when he was two, he moved to Istanbul with his mother, left school to work as a porter and shop clerk, and took up boxing, finishing runner-up at the 1947 Istanbul and Turkey championships. After military service he was working at a thread factory in Cankurtaran when, following an incident in which he helped protect a film crew led by director Lütfi Akad, he was offered a part and made his screen debut in the 1957 film Acı Günler.

He quickly became one of Yeşilçam's best-known screen villains, and his portrayal of hostile characters at times drew hostile reactions from audiences; his best-remembered film is Susuz Yaz (1964), directed by Metin Erksan, which won the Golden Bear at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival. He won Best Supporting Actor honours at festivals including Acapulco and the Golden Orange on several occasions, and received a lifetime achievement award at the 7th Golden Boll festival in 1993.

He had twins with his first wife, Hafize Taş, and after her death in 1965 he married Elmas Erşan, with whom he had a daughter; for many years he also ran a coffeehouse in Cankurtaran. His left leg was amputated in December 1996 due to diabetes, and he died of a heart attack in Istanbul on 8 November 1998, and was buried at Topkapı Cemetery.

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Erol Taş

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Their work through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

The right place to begin with Erol Taş is Metin Erksan's Susuz Yaz: Osman, the tobacco farmer who wants to keep the water on his land for himself, shows the strength behind Taş's villain mould. For the emotional side there are Dila Hanım, a love story with a vow of revenge, and Avare, a black-and-white drama. In Cevriyem he joins Memduh Ün's warm love drama as Cemil.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Erol Taş's filmography has two floors. In Susuz Yaz, Osman has a grievance and a logic; his wrongdoing is reasoned, which is why it lasts. In the era's formula crime pictures such as Vurguncular, the Çorbacı part seems to be used as a ready-made threat. In my view the weight of what he is given depends on how deep the film itself goes: the same face is a character in one and scenery in the other.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Erol Taş's roles line up the changing faces of authority: the hard master of rural land and water in Susuz Yaz, a world of pre-Ottoman beys through Dündar Bey in Kuruluş/Osmancık, and a senior police role in İz Peşinde and Sekiz Sütuna Manşet. How villainy over the years stretches from the village agha to the state's security officer is an interesting trace for reading the time of these productions.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes on this person's screen work, written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader comments are below.

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