Kartal Tibet

Kartal Tibet — Biography

Kartal Tibet was born on 27 March 1939 in Ankara and took his first steps on stage as a child voice performer at age eleven. After graduating from the theatre department of the Ankara State Conservatory, he grew into one of Turkish cinema's most beloved leading men, taking the lead in the Karaoğlan series and in the Tarkan adventure films. He shared the screen with the era's biggest names, among them Türkan Şoray, Filiz Akın, Fatma Girik and Hülya Koçyiğit. After serving as assistant director on several comedies made by Ertem Eğilmez, he launched his own directing career, going on to shoot dozens of comedies, including Zübük and Şalvar Davası, many of them starring Kemal Sunal. He also wrote screenplays for productions such as Davaro and Şabaniye. In 1961 he founded Meydan Sahne, his own private theatre company in Ankara. For his contribution to Turkish film he received the Golden Orange Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and the Yıldırım Önal Memorial Award in 2006. He died in Istanbul on 1 July 2021 at the age of 82.