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Erkan Kolçak Köstendil

Erkan Kolçak Köstendil

Actor · 43 years old

Vartolu in the series Çukur

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Age43
Birth dateJanuary 16, 1983
BirthplaceBursa
ProfessionActor
Zodiac signCapricorn
Eye colorBrown
EducationMimar Sinan Fine Arts University State Conservatory, Theatre Department

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Erkan Kolçak Köstendil — Biography

Bursa-born actor, director and screenwriter Erkan Kolçak Köstendil was born on January 16, 1983. His family came to Turkey as immigrants from Kyustendil, and actor Bülent Şakrak is his cousin. While attending Bursa Atatürk High School he took up football and even played as a goalkeeper for Bursaspor, but his passion for acting won out; he left the sport and graduated from the Theatre Department of the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts State Conservatory.

He began his career with roles in theater, film and television. He took supporting parts in highly rated series such as Kurtlar Vadisi, Yılan Hikâyesi, Sakarya Fırat, Merhamet and Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem. Widespread fame in Turkey came with Ulan İstanbul, in which he also performed the song Yanarım, whose lyrics he wrote himself, together with Şebnem Bozoklu.

The peak of his career was the role of Vartolu Saadettin (Salih Koçovalı) in the series Çukur, which began in 2017 and became a phenomenon. He also appeared in fantasy productions such as Görünen Adam and Yaratılan (2023), and in recent years acted in Ne Gemiler Yaktım (2023), The Things You Kill (2025) and Veliaht (2025). The short films he directed earned him awards at national and international competitions, and he has pursued screenwriting work. His marriage to actress Cansu Tosun ended in divorce in 2026.

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Erkan Kolçak Köstendil Erkan Kolçak Köstendil Erkan Kolçak Köstendil Erkan Kolçak Köstendil

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Their work through different eyes

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

If you want pace with Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, there are three places to go: the mafia neighborhood of Çukur, the post-under-siege fight of Sakarya Fırat, and Uğur Yücel's crime-action film Ejder Kapanı. Both series ran four seasons, so starting with the film is the shorter route.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Çukur, Kurtlar Vadisi, Sakarya Fırat, Veliaht: the heavy male world of crime, war and action series stands out in Erkan Kolçak Köstendil's list. In my view that density gives the impression of one tone being used again and again; the con-artist family of Ulan İstanbul, which mixes comedy with action, or a drama like Merhamet, shows the tone can widen.

Series Binger A series devotee tracking character arcs, cast chemistry and season pacing.

Ulan İstanbul stands apart in Erkan Kolçak Köstendil's series work: a show about a family of con artists that puts action and comedy side by side, and he is among those who share the leading roles. After the hardness of Kurtlar Vadisi and Sakarya Fırat, this lightness is, in my view, the widest version of his tone that series viewers will want to see.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes on this person's screen work, written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader comments are below.

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