Mehmet Ali Erbil

Mehmet Ali Erbil — Biography

Born on 8 February 1957 in Istanbul, Mehmet Ali Erbil is the son of theatre and film actor Saadettin Erbil. After completing his schooling in Istanbul, Ankara and Balıkesir, he entered the Theatre Department of the Ankara State Conservatory as a boarding student in 1971 and, upon graduating, began working at the State Theatre, where he appeared in numerous productions including Equus.

Erbil moved into cinema in the 1980s and made his first steps in television with entertainment programmes on TRT during the single-channel era. As private broadcasters spread, he became one of the country's best-known showmen through the game and variety shows he hosted; Çarkıfelek, which he presented for many years on various channels, remains the programme most closely identified with him. He acted in series such as Tatlı Kaçıklar and Aşkım Aşkım, and left his mark on cinema with the character Deli Bedri in the revived Hababam Sınıfı films and with roles in Kahpe Bizans, Hemşo and Hırsız Var!, while also doing voice work for animated features. He has battled capillary leak syndrome, a rare condition that forced long breaks in his career, and appeared in the 2024 film Bakkal Amca: Mahmut Tuncer.