Müjdat Gezen

Müjdat Gezen was born in Fatih, Istanbul in 1943. He made his first appearance on the stage at Hırka-i Şerif primary school in 1953. In the same year, his poems were published in the magazine Doğan Kardeş Children. He also participated in a children′s chorus club in Istanbul Radio. Between 1956 and 1957, he performed in several amateur theater groups. In 1959, he entered the Istanbul Municipality City Theatre and became a professional actor when he finished Vefa High School the next year. In 1961, Gezen entered the Theater Department of the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory. In 1962, he took a role in the film “Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz” which was directed by Yılmaz Atadeniz. After 1963, Gezen started performing at the Münir Özkul and Muammer Karaca Theatre. In the same year, his poems and some amateur plays were published in culture and art magazines. After finishing his military service, Gezen started writing playwritings. In 1966, he began acting in the Ulvi Uras Theatre. He took a role in the comedy play “Denizciler Geliyor.” In 1967, Gezen founded the “Halk Oyuncuları” with his friends. In 1968, he founded his private theatre and also acted in the Istanbul Theatre. In the 1970s, he acted in plays, films, and TV programs, and also wrote articles. In 1975, Gezen published his first book “Çizgilerle Nazım Hikmet” with Savaş Dinçel. In 1982, he founded his own publishing house to publish his books. Since 1999, he has published over 38 books including "Ç.Arkadaşım Aziz Nesin," "Ustalarım," "İkibuçuk Lira İçin," "Komikler Ağlamaz," "Eşeğin Karnındaki Elmas," "Bir Bulut Olsam," "Şiirim Geldi Bırakın Beni" (poetry book), "Artiz Mektebi," "Oyunculuk Eğitimi," "Oyuncunun El Kitabı," and "Galiba Ben Sanatçıyım."  In 1999, Gezen started teaching Turkish Theater plays at the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory and the Istanbul University State Conservatory. He also founded “Güldürü Üretim Merkezi” with comedian Kandemir Konduk and directed TV programs, theater performances, and comedy pages in newspapers and magazines. In 1981 and 1983, Gezen acted in the comedy film “Gırgıriye.” He also directed the films “Gülümseyen Dünya” (1984) and “Kobay” (1986). In 1991, Gezen established Müjdat Gezen Sanat Merkezi (Müjdat Gezen Art Center) (MSM) in Kadıköy, Istanbul. In 1992, he founded MSM Ormanı within MSM. In 1995, he was awarded for the play “Hamlet Efendi,” which was staged in the State Theatre. Between 1996 and 1998, Gezen wrote comedy pages and columns in the Cumhuriyet newspaper. In 1997, the play “Babam,” which he directed, was awarded. In 1998, he established the Müjdat Gezen Theatre. Gezen has performed in more than 100 films, 50 plays and over 1000 radio and TV programs. He has performed in TV dramas such as “Bir Milyara Bir Çocuk” (2000), “Gerçek Niyazi” (2000), “Hırsız” (2001), and “Cennet mahallesi” (2002).

Reference: biyografi.info; wikipedia.org; images.google.com.tr; diziler.com