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Tuncel Kurtiz

Acting Born Feb 1, 1936 Bilecik, Turkey 24 credits

Biography

Tuncel Tayanç Kurtiz (1 February 1936 – 27 September 2013) was a Turkish theatre, movie and TV series actor, playwright, and film director Since 1964, he acted in more than 70 movies, including many international productions.

Since 1958, Kurtiz performed on many stages in Istanbul, in state and private theatres. He was also on the stage at Gothenburg City Theatre, Stockholm Royal Theatre and Swedish Theatre in Sweden, Schaubühne Berlin, Frankfurt City Theatre and Hamburg City Theatre in Germany and at Peter Brook Shakespeare Royal Theatre in England. Kurtiz directed plays for the German-Turkish theatre project "Türkisches Ensemble" in the late 1970s.

During his university years and later the military service period, he became friends with the renowned film director Yılmaz Güney. They made a number of films together. Their 1970 film Umut was prohibited to leave Turkey, but was shown in Cannes Film Festival by a smuggled copy.

His first film role was in Şeytanın Uşakları, shot in 1964. Since then, Tuncel Kurtiz played also in many international productions like Swedish, German, Dutch, Italian, French, British, Israel and Indian films and TV series, mostly in the original language.

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Known for

Film

Young Frankenstein

as Der Kleine

The Magnificent Century

as Ebu Suud Efendi

Ezel

as Ramiz Karaeski

Rizzoli & Isles

as Said

Sold Out on You

2026

Full filmography

  • Scene of the Crime (1970) as Der Kleine
  • The Magnificent Century (2011) as Ebu Suud Efendi
  • Ezel (2009) as Ramiz Karaeski
  • Asi (2007) as Cemal Ağa
  • Kvällspressen (1992) as Abdel
  • Alacakaranlık (2003)
  • The Mahabharata (1990) as Shakuni
  • Jack Hunter and the Quest for Akhenaten's Tomb (2008) as Said
  • Hacı (2006)
  • Pains of Autumn (2009) as Kamil Efendi
  • The Edge of Heaven (2007) as Ali Aksu
  • Amforans gåta (1991) as Papa
  • Dødelig kjemi (1992) as Ahmed Jhani
  • The Mahabharata (1990) as Shakuni
  • On the Tiger's Back (2002) as Fatih
  • Code Name Coq Rouge (1989) as Al-Houl
  • Istanbul Beneath My Wings (1996) as Topal Recep Paşa
  • Journey on a Clock Hand (1997) as Agah
  • Law of the Border (1966) as Bekir
  • Somersault in a Coffin (1996) as Reis
  • All Over the Place - A Portrait of Tuncel Kurtiz (2025) as Self
  • On a Narrow Bridge (1985)
  • The Waterfall (2001) as Kel Selim
  • The Bus (1974)