Ali Tutal

Ali Tutal — Biography

Advertising came first for Ali Tutal, born Mehmet Ali Tutal in Diyarbakır, before he turned to the screen as a Turkish film and television actor. A graduate in political science and business administration, he entered cinema in the mid-1970s with the film İzin. Over a career spanning nearly four decades, he appeared in roughly fifty films and more than twenty television series, building one of the more extensive filmographies among his generation of Turkish character actors.

He was best known for his convincing portrayals of Anatolian and provincial characters, and for supervising dubbing work performed in regional accents. His most widely recognized role was Ali Ekber Elagöz in the series Geniş Aile, and his credits also include Asmalı Konak, Hoşçakal Yarın, Güneşi Gördüm, Hükümet Kadın and Eve Dönüş. He played a religion teacher in Boynu Bükükler and a coffeehouse owner in Arka Sokaklar. Later in his career he appeared in the popular series Yasak Elma and Kördüğüm, and made his final screen appearance in the 2022 film Garip Bülbül Neşet Ertaş. He belonged to the actors' association ÇASOD.

Tutal was hospitalized in January 2026 and died the following month after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage while under treatment. Following a memorial ceremony at the Atlas Cinema and a funeral prayer at Zincirlikuyu Mosque, he was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.