Kâmil Sönmez

Kâmil Sönmez — Biography

Kâmil Sönmez was a folk singer and actor who performed songs of the Black Sea region. He reached a wide audience through his voice and through roles in cinema and television, and he is counted among the most important names in Black Sea folk song. He was awarded the title of state artist while serving as a soloist with the State Turkish Folk Music Choir; sources give the year as 1998 or 1999.

Born in the Perşembe district of Ordu, he finished primary school in Giresun and entered the opera-voice department of the Ankara State Conservatory. After military service in 1966-1968 he began professional acting at the Avni Dilligil Theatre, then worked at Ankara Sahnesi and the Ankara Kardeş Oyuncular Theatre. The record İnce Memed - Hekimoğlu, produced by Zülfü Livaneli, opened the way to singing; he passed the folk-song examination to join radio and released the cassette Karadeniz Disko with Türkola. From 1996 until his death he served as a soloist with the Turkish Folk Music Choir of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

He came to the screen with Düşman (1979), in which he played Rifat. After films such as Deli Kan, Sev Ölesiye and Bir Kadın Düşmanı, he moved toward television, playing Naci in Ölümsüz Aşk, Osman Reis in Sensiz Olmuyor and Ahmet Kalabık in Sev Kardeşim; in Amerikalılar Karadeniz'de 2 he was the coffeehouse keeper Rüstem. After a brain haemorrhage on 4 December 2012 he died on 20 December 2012 at Başkent University Hospital in Istanbul.