Turkish veteran actor Münir Özkul dies at 93

ISTANBUL

Veteran actor Münir Özkul died on Jan. 5 at the age of 93. Özkul had been suffering from a respiratory disease and dementia since 2003 and had been treated in his home in Istanbul for a long time. 

Speaking to press members, his daughter Güner Özkul said her father had been having health problems for a long time. 

“We have been ready for this day due to a lot of fake news in the media,” she said. 

Özkul said his funeral ceremony would be held on Jan. 7 or 8 at the Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage and his funeral would take place at the Teşvikiye Mosque. 

Born in 1925, Özkul was awarded the honorary title “State Artist of Turkey” in 1998. 

In 1972, he received the Golden Orange Award, known as the Turkish Oscars, for Best Actor in his performance in the Turkish movie “Sev Kardeşim” (Love, My Brother). 

During the 1970s, he appeared in many films by Ertem Eğilmez. 

He is best known in Turkey for his roles “Mahmut Hoca” in the cult comedy film series “Hababam Sınıfı” (The Chaos Class) and Yaşar Usta in the film “Bizim Aile” (Our Family), as well as many other films. 

In 2015, Özkul was one of the recipients of the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards, which are distributed every year by the state to Turkish and foreign artists and institutions that contribute and honor Turkish culture and art.