Salih Güney

Salih Güney — Biography

Salih Güney was one of the rebellious, glamorous leading men of Yeşilçam in the 1960s, and stood out for acting opposite Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson in an international production. He appeared in well over a hundred films and later became known as well for his work on archaeology and protecting cultural heritage. In 2012 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

He graduated from the Theatre Department of the Ankara State Conservatory, appeared in Tarla Kuşu on its stage in 1960 and began professional theatre at the Gen-Ar Theatre. He entered cinema in 1965 with Haldun Dormen's Bozuk Düzen, and the same year appeared in films such as Korkusuz Yaşayanlar and Yasak Sokaklar. Aşk Hikâyesi, Acı Pirinç and Aşk Mahkûmu belong to this period. Paralı Askerler (You Can't Win 'Em All, 1970) was a Hollywood production; the film, about the War of Independence, was banned in Türkiye. He then worked as a photo-novel director for Hürriyet's Kelebek supplement and trained in camera work in Sweden and England.

In 1979 he settled in the United States, worked in tourism, and returned to Türkiye in 1996. A campaign he began with archaeologist Jale İnan helped bring back a bust of the Heracles statue in 2013, and he taught acting and art history in Yalova. He is the older brother of actor Mutlu Güney. In November 2025 he himself announced that he had been struggling with a health problem for some time.