Kadir Savun

Kadir Savun — Biography

Kadir Savun was born on 15 August 1926 in the village of Doruksaray, in the İliç district of Erzincan; after his father, a police officer, was posted to Istanbul, the family moved there while he was young, and he left Kabataş High School before graduating. His first screen appearance came as a child actor in Bir Millet Uyanıyor in 1936; he entered the industry properly in the 1940s as a camera assistant at a film company and made acting his profession in 1950. He also worked for a time as a casting director for director Faruk Kenç, and later co-founded the production company Azim Film with Suphi Kaner, whom he met on set. Over a career of more than sixty years and 400-plus productions, he became one of Yeşilçam's leading character actors, earning the nickname "Baba Kadir" (Father Kadir) for his warm, "poor but proud" paternal roles. A frequent collaborator of director Osman F. Seden, he appeared in films including Yılanların Öcü, Deli Yusuf and Kara Murat Şeyh Gaffar'a Karşı, and in 1994 received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Boll Film Festival. After he was diagnosed with cancer, fellow performers İbrahim Tatlıses and Osman Yağmurdereli organized a benefit night to help cover his treatment costs. Savun died in Istanbul on 10 October 1995 and was buried at Feriköy Cemetery.