Murat Cemcir

Murat Cemcir — Biography

Murat Cemcir was born on 30 November 1976 in the Niksar district of Tokat to a family of Georgian descent, and graduated from the automotive engineering department at Mustafa Kemal University. He began with supporting roles in films such as Takva, Polis and Yeraltı, then drew attention through Selçuk Aydemir's series Üsküdar'a Giderken and Ramazan Güzeldir. For years he was paired on screen with Ahmet Kural, sharing lead roles in Çalgı Çengi, Düğün Dernek, İşler Güçler and Kardeş Payı, a partnership that ended in 2023.

Released in 2013, Düğün Dernek drew some of the largest Turkish cinema audiences in three decades. In 2018 he stepped outside his comic persona to play İdris Karasu in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Cannes-competing The Wild Pear Tree, then appeared in Ailecek Şaşkınız the same year and as Niyazi in Baba Parası in 2020. His awards include a Golden Butterfly for best comedy actor, a Turkish Film Critics Association prize for best supporting actor for The Wild Pear Tree, and a META Cinema Forum award for best breakthrough producer. He speaks Georgian well and is interested in horseback riding and Wing Chun.

In July 2026 he spent three days in intensive care after suffering internal bleeding; he spoke publicly about it for the first time only months later, saying he had narrowly pulled through.