Who is Yılmaz Güney?
Yılmaz Güney, one of the most important names of Turkish cinema, has produced many successful films both as an actor and director. But his life was as dramatic and turbulent as his films. So, who is Yılmaz Güney and why did he go to prison? What are Yılmaz Güney's biography, movies and books? Here are the things you want to know about Yılmaz Güney's life…
Birth and Family of Yılmaz Güney
Yılmaz Güney was born on April 1, 1937 in Yenice village of Adana's Yüreğir district. His father was Zülfo Pütün and his mother Şerife Hanım. His family was of Kurdish origin. Yılmaz Güney spent his childhood in Adana. After finishing primary school, he came to Istanbul upon his father's request and worked as a barber there for a while. He then returned to Adana and started secondary school. He started writing poetry and stories at school. In 1952, he won first place with his poem in a competition organized by Adana Community Center. He joined Adana Demirspor's football team in 1953. He graduated from Adana Boys' High School in 1955.
Yılmaz Güney's Cinema Career
Yılmaz Güney entered Ankara University Faculty of Law in 1956. However, he could not finish school. In the same year, he published his first story book, "The Story of a Day". He entered the cinema in 1959 with the films Bu Vatanın Çocukları and Ala Geyik, for which he wrote the script and starred. He became known to the masses with these films and received the nickname "Ugly King". In 1960, he published his second story book, "They Died with Neck Bukuk Ukük". In 1961, he was arrested for a story he wrote and was imprisoned for 1 year and 2 months. During this period, he published his third story book, "Bread Kavgası". In 1963, he made his directorial debut, the movie At Avrat Silah. In 1964, he published his fourth story book, "Palestine Diary". In 1965, he published his fifth story book, "Tomorrow Tomorrow". In 1966, during the shooting of the movie Border Law, he hit and killed a child while driving drunk in Şanlıurfa. After this incident, he took a break from cinema and turned to political activities. In 1967, he married Nebahat Çehre, but divorced Çehre a year later on the grounds that she was violent. In 1968, he published his sixth story book, "The Defendant". In 1969, he shot the movie Umut, his second directorial attempt. This film was considered the beginning of a new trend in Turkish cinema. In 1970, he published his seventh story book, "Friend". In the same year, he shot the films Umutsuzlar, Baba and lament. In 1971, he published his eighth story book, "Infantry". In the same year, he shot the movie Anxiety. In 1972, he shot the films Poor People and Pain. In 1973, he shot the films The Friend and The Indestructible Man. In 1974, he shot the movie Enemy. In the same year, he was found guilty of killing a judge by shooting him in the head from close range in Adana, where he was filming the movie Anxiety, and was arrested. In 1975, he wrote the script for the movie Herd. In 1976, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. In 1977, he handed over the directorship of the movie Sürü to Şerif Gören. In 1978, he wrote the script for the movie The Wall. In 1979, he handed over the directorship of the movie "The Wall" to Zeki Ökten. In 1980, he wrote the script for the movie Yol. In 1981, he escaped from prison on leave and went abroad. The movie Yol, which he wrote and directed together with Şerif Gören, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1982. In 1983, he wrote the script for the movie Nineth Foreign Ward. In 1984, he handed over the directorship of the movie Dokuzuncu Hariciye Koğuşu to Şerif Gören. The same year, he died in Paris of stomach cancer. His body was brought to Turkey and buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.
