Engin Günay

Engin Günay — Biography

Engin Günay is a Trabzon-born actor who grew up in the theatre companies of Ankara and turned to television and cinema after a long break. Wide audiences know him as Azsakallı Dede in the series Leyla ile Mecnun, which began in 2011 and ran for seasons until 2021.

He graduated from the radio and television department of the School of Journalism and Public Relations at the Ankara Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences. His acting started on stage: between 1968 and 1980 he played in Ankara, first with Doğuş Oyuncuları, a company attached to a public education centre, then at Ankara Birlik Tiyatrosu and Çağdaş Sahne. A long absence from acting followed. Through the 1990s he returned to the screen, appearing in series such as Mahallenin Muhtarları, Kaygısızlar and Hemşerim, and in films including Hoşçakal Yarın, Her Şey Çok Güzel Olacak (1998) and Kahpe Bizans (1999).

In the 2000s he kept up his film work with Hiçbiryerde (2002), Gönderilmemiş Mektuplar and Abdülhamit Düşerken (both 2002), and was seen on television in Havada Bulut, Sevda Çiçeği and Hırsız Polis. In the 2010s, alongside Leyla ile Mecnun, he played in the series Ben de Özledim and the films Bana Masal Anlatma (2015) and Kara Bela (2015). His credits run to nearly thirty productions.