Erol Günaydın

Erol Günaydın (April 16, 1933 – October 15, 2012) was a Turkish theater and film actor, as well as a renowned showman famous particularly for his portrayal of Nasreddin Hoca and his performances in the traditional Turkish meddah (one man shows). In 1955 was played in Haldun Dormen Pocket Theater, "The priest ran away" from a professional actor began his career with the game. In theater since 1955 and in cinema since 1960, he recently celebrated his golden jubilee together with the fortieth anniversary of his marriage with spouse Güneş Günaydın, a native of Manisa, in company of his children, one of whom married into an Italian family.

Erol Günaydın was born in Akçaabat, Trabzon Province, and became involved in theater while he was a student in Galatasaray High School. He played in a very varied range of plays and character roles in films since then and became nationally famous especially once he also started appearing in TV shows on a frequent basis, first as the Turkish voice of Yogi Bear, and then in his Nasreddin Hoca and meddah shows, with also a leading role in the very successful TV serial "Çiçek Taxi". He is one of the best known faces in Turkey's world of performing arts.

His memoirs, put in writing in the form of long interview with the journalist Emine Algan, were published in 2007.

Erol Günaydın died on October 15, 2012, in a hospital in Istanbul. On August 24, he was hospitalized due to dyspnea in intensive care unit in Bodrum. Being without consciousness, Günaydın was transferred to Istanbul by air ambulance on September 22. Günaydın's death was announced by his daughter Günfer Günaydın in her Twitter feed. He was laid to rest at the Feriköy Cemetery, Istanbul.