Gürdal Tosun

Gürdal Tosun — Biography

Gürdal Tosun was a Turkish actor whose short but busy career ran from the stage through television to voice dubbing. He settled in viewers' memory as Tombalak in the comedy series Bir Demet Tiyatro, and with his voice he accompanied Turkish audiences through Disney's animated films of the 1990s. Born into a well-known acting family, he died at 33.

His father was Necdet Tosun and his elder brother Erdal Tosun, so acting was the family trade, yet his own path was not easy: he sat conservatory exams three years in a row and was turned down because of his weight. He entered the arts world selling tickets at a theatre where Levent Kırca performed, lost weight, tried again and graduated from the acting department of Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory in 1990. He then worked at the State Theatres, the Istanbul City Theatres and the Bakırköy Municipal Theatre; on screen he appeared in the films Gün Doğmadan, Otogargara and Sen Hiç Ateşböceği Gördün mü? and in the series Bir Demet Tiyatro and Güneş Yanıkları.

As a dubbing artist he gave Rex his Turkish voice in the first two Toy Story films, and he also voiced Banzai in The Lion King and Pain in Hercules. He fell ill while working at BKM and died on 30 August 2000; he was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery beside his father, and his brother was later laid there too.