Ünal Gürel

Ünal Gürel — Biography

Ünal Gürel was one of the supporting actors of Yeşilçam, appearing in hundreds of productions, and is remembered above all for the unforgettable characters he played in comedies alongside Kemal Sunal. His best-known role is Gardırop Fuat in Sakar Şakir, and the line "Yanıyorsun Fuat Abi!" is still remembered years later. He died in Istanbul on 8 April 2002.

In his youth he began vocal studies in Ankara but left the school unfinished and returned to Istanbul. He entered the arts through the theatre, worked with several companies and joined the Şehir Tiyatrosu as an actor in the 1960-61 season. In 1964 he stepped in front of the camera; in cinema he mostly took supporting parts in comedies, and he also worked as a dubbing artist. In the 1970s he used his pen as well, writing the films Boşver Arkadaş (1974) and Minik Cadı (1975). Among the characters audiences know him best for are Karamürselli Deli Hamdi in Yedi Bela Hüsnü, Karbonat Erol in Tokatçı and Fatsalı Osman in Dokunmayın Şabanıma; in Hanzo (1975) he played Cemal.

In the 1990s he leaned towards television: he played the barber in Mahallenin Muhtarları and also appeared in series such as Süper Baba and Mirasyediler; in cinema, Kızılırmak Karakoyun (1993) was among his films. His son is also an actor. In 2023 he was remembered at a stage named after him.