Levent Üzümcü

Levent Üzümcü — Biography

Born in İzmir on 6 July 1972 to a family with roots among Turks who had emigrated from Greece, Levent Üzümcü trained in theatre at Anadolu University's State Conservatory in Eskişehir and later studied acting direction at the Los Angeles Film School.

A member of the İstanbul City Theatres company since 1996, he also founded İstanbul Halk Tiyatrosu as well as a separate company that bears his own name. He became widely known for playing Cem Onaran in the series Avrupa Yakası, and also featured in film and television projects such as Beyza's Women, Abimm, Harem, Riverbanks and Bilmemek.

In 2015 he was dismissed from his municipal theatre post over his stance during the Gezi protests and a political speech he had given; he later served on Şişli's municipal council for the CHP and returned to the city theatres in 2020. In 2024 he was made artistic director of İzmir's city theatre. In July 2026 he was briefly detained over a comment he made about a news story, then released to house arrest, and has since spoken publicly about the case.