İzzet Günay

İzzet Günay — Biography

İzzet Günay was born on 21 August 1934 in Istanbul, attended Deniz Lisesi before graduating from Haydarpaşa High School, and worked as a technical draftsman for the Istanbul municipality while also teaching dance for a time. After trading in lignite following his military service, he answered a newspaper advertisement in 1957 and joined the Dormen Theatre, making his professional stage debut in a small role in Kara Ağaçlar Altında; he moved into film in 1958 playing Zeki Müren's driver in Kırık Plak, then became a leading man with Varan Bir in 1964.

That same year he won Best Actor at the 1st Golden Orange Film Festival for Ağaçlar Ayakta Ölür, going on to appear in more than 100 films across six decades. His honours include a Lifetime Achievement award from the 39th Golden Orange in 2002, a Cinema Honour award from the Istanbul Film Festival in 2008, a shared Vesikalı Yarim honour with Türkan Şoray in 2009, a Lifetime Achievement award from the Adana Golden Boll in 2013, and the Aziz Nesin Labour Award from the Ankara Film Festival in 2017. He also worked for a period as a classical Turkish music soloist for financial reasons, and is known for running an antiques shop from 1985 for fourteen years alongside a lifelong stamp, coin and medal collection.