Levent Ülgen

Levent Ülgen — Biography

Born Ömer Levent Ülgen on 8 August 1962 in Cihanbeyli, Konya, he kept a promise to his father, topping his physics class at METU after Ankara İnönü High School, then finished the Hacettepe University Conservatory's Theatre Department with honors. He began as an extra at Erkan Yücel's Ankara People's Theatre, moved after his mentor's death to the Ankara Art Theatre under Rutkay Aziz, then worked as both actor and director at the State Theatres in over thirty productions, including Shakespeare, Brecht, Dostoevsky and Lorca adaptations, directing several himself.

Ülgen debuted on screen in 1992 with the film Kurşun Adres Sormaz, but found real fame playing Kadir, a scheming son-in-law, in En Son Babalar Duyar (2002-2006), whose catchphrase 'Hallederiz' became a household phrase; he also hosted a TRT 1 game show. He spent five seasons as Sinan in Akasya Durağı, and took roles in Çocuklar Duymasın, Bizim Okul and Kiralık Aşk, plus the films Terkedilmiş, Niyazi Gül Dört Nala, Kasap Havası, Bizum Hoca, Devrimden Sonra, Nene Hatun and Türkler Çıldırmış Olmalı. Since 2007 he has volunteered yearly in staged readings of Nâzım Hikmet's plays, and signed the founding statement of a left-wing alliance formed in 2023.

He has stayed prolific through the 2010s and 2020s, playing Danyal in Hayati ve Diğerleri and appearing in Kuzgun, Gençliğim Eyvah and Kötü Kan, across more than three decades.