Natuk Baytan

Natuk Baytan — Biography

Natuk Baytan, born in Manisa on 5 July 1925 and died in Istanbul on 5 December 1986, studied archaeology at Istanbul University and left a career as a civil servant to enter the film industry as a Turkish film director and screenwriter. Through his own production company he wrote and directed his first film, Karanlıkta Yaşayanlar, in 1961.

Working early on in the drama and crime genres, he won the Best Screenplay award at the 2nd Izmir Film Festival for his 1965 thriller Sahildeki Ceset. From 1967 he became known for bringing historical and fantastical characters to Turkish cinema in films such as Hacı Murat, Şeyh Şamil, Battal Gazi'nin İntikamı and Kara Murat: Fatih'in Fedaisi.

Starting in 1976 he built a long-running collaboration with comedian Kemal Sunal on cult comedies including Sahte Kabadayı, Sakar Şakir, Avanak Apti and Korkusuz Korkak, while in the late 1970s he also directed melodramatic musical films starring arabesque singer Ferdi Tayfur. He closed out his directing career with the 1986 television series Duvardaki Kan and died in Istanbul later that year; a 2007 documentary and a park named in his honor in Istanbul's Fatih district commemorate his work.