Ayberk Pekcan

Ayberk Pekcan — Biography

Osman Ayberk Pekcan was born on May 22, 1970, in Mersin. Before turning to acting he held various jobs as a civil servant and laborer and was for a time involved in politics, eventually completing his theatre training at the Department of Performing Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Mersin University.

He made his screen debut in the 1995 series Çiçek Taksi and went on to appear in widely watched productions such as Tatlı Hayat, Ihlamurlar Altında, Yaprak Dökümü, Kurtlar Vadisi Pusu, and Bir Aşk Hikayesi. He also built a strong film résumé, playing Hamdi in Saç (2010) and taking on the roles of driver Hidayet and Erol in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Winter Sleep (2014) and Mustang (2015), respectively. His best-known role, however, was Artuk Bey in the series Diriliş Ertuğrul, which he began playing in 2014 and which brought him recognition well beyond Turkey.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in the autumn of 2021, Pekcan died on January 24, 2022, at age 51 in his native Mersin. His final film, Dilberay, reached theaters shortly after his death, in February 2022.