Memduh Ün

Memduh Ün — Biography

Arif Memduh Ün (14 March 1920 – 16 October 2015) ranks among the most prolific figures of Turkish Yeşilçam cinema, working across decades as a director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Before turning to film he abandoned his medical studies to play football, appearing for Beşiktaş during its championship run in the early 1940s, and only moved into the film industry in 1947.

In 1951 he co-founded the production company Yakut Film with Arşavil Alyanak, and later built his own studio, Uğur Film, through which he produced 124 films, directed 72 and acted in 48. His drama Kırık Çanaklar (The Broken Pots) was selected for the official competition of the 1961 Berlin International Film Festival, bringing him international recognition; from the 1970s onward he increasingly focused on producing rather than directing.

His decades-long relationship with actress Fatma Girik, who was 22 years his junior, made the couple one of Yeşilçam's most talked-about pairings. Remembered as one of the directors who helped usher in the era of Turkish child stars on screen, Memduh Ün died in Bodrum on 16 October 2015 at the age of 95.