Tuğrul Tülek was born on September 26, 1976 in Bursa. Turkish TV series, cinema, theater actor, director, musician, commentator and translator.
Name: Tugrul Tülek
Date of Birth: September 26, 1976
Place of Birth: Bursa
Height: 1.75 m.
Weight: 70 kilos
Sign: Libra
Eye color: Brown
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tgrltlk/
Childhood years: He was born and raised in Bursa. He studied English teaching because his family wanted him to have a job. “Our families always wanted to see us in safe and secure jobs, so being an actor was not something they preferred. I entered the department saying ‘I should at least study English teaching’, joined a theater group at school and spent an amazing four years. We constantly produced, played games, toured and we were a good team. But after I finished school, I realized what I was doing, I saw where I could be in 25 years, I realized that I didn’t want to be an English teacher. Then it evolved on its own and I started acting in Bursa. After three years, I went back to school.”
Education life: Graduated from Uludag University, English Language Teaching Department in 1999. In the same year, he started to work as an actor at the Bursa Culture, Art and Tourism Foundation Theatre. He passed the conservatory exam in 2002 and started his second undergraduate education at Anadolu University Theater Department, graduating in 2006. During this time, he also studied at Akademia Teatralna im Aleksandra Zalwerowicza Acting School in Warsaw, Poland, as an exchange student.
A turning point in his life: The English teaching department, which he reluctantly studied, took its place as an advantage in every aspect of his life. “When I was a kid, I used to make fun of the ‘gold bracelet’ talk, but life teaches you everything very well with experience. I always wanted to study theater, but in the end I found myself studying English teaching. I had in mind to leave the department unfinished and go to the conservatory, but it didn’t work, I even finished the department. However, after I graduated, I realized that I don’t want such a career, and I took the conservatory exam to achieve the goal I wanted, I won, and I built a new life for myself in Eskişehir. While taking all these steps, teaching English has always saved my life. I entered the conservatory at the age of 26, so it was not possible to expect financial support from my family, so I worked and studied both as an English teacher throughout my entire acting education. Afterwards, I applied to the student exchange program and because I know English, I found a school for myself and did the necessary correspondence and I studied in Poland in my last year. When I came to Istanbul after winning the DOT auditions, I continued to teach English for the first 4 years. I had the chance to read and translate the acts of many authors in their own languages, and I had the opportunity to work on joint projects abroad. In short, English was always with me like a gold bracelet, it always saved my life.”
The first step into acting: He started his television adventure in 2008 with the character of “Buğra”, which he portrayed in the TV series “Karamel”.
Which project did it shine with? He attracted attention with the character of “Ali Yücelen” in the TV series “Hatırla Gönül”.
Social: He was among the most productive names of quarantine during the pandemic period. He drew attention with his #TuğrulArıyooo, prepared for the IGTV section of Instagram since the beginning of the quarantine, and recorded the mood of the time we are in with the famous names he was connected to. “This idea was born like this; After spending time with myself at home for a while, video and non-video phone conversations started to take up too much of my time, as is the case with most of us. In fact, as someone who doesn’t like talking on the phone, I used to call my family and friends every day and ask about their status and take roll call. Then I realized that the only thing we talked about was Covid, economic troubles, future concerns. So we forgot to have fun together, relax and laugh. Frankly, this scared me more than the virus, I mean, these days will pass one way or another, but when we get together with friends, if we turn into creatures who forgot to have fun together and can’t socialize, I panicked and I called my friends and said we need to play and have some fun. Humor, laughter, having fun together are always healing. After each meeting, the sentences I heard from everyone are close to each other: It felt very good, I’m glad we did something like this!”
Mindset: He thinks that his more tolerant, more productive, more helpful side has emerged during the pandemic period. “When anxieties and fears are shared, hopes and wishes become common, of course. Everyone took part in each other’s ideas and production without thinking, and even though everyone was distant, they integrated into each other more easily. I think we’ve become less likely to hear and listen to critical, old, outdated and loud voices. Our physical distance actually brought many of us closer together.”
First feature film: İlksen Basarir/ Başka Dilde Aşk
His outlook on life: As he acted and directed, he learned many things about himself that he did not know or realize at the time. “I think I’ve learned to describe my feelings and situations more accurately. I’ve seen that as long as you continue to struggle, work and evolve, things will turn out the way you want them to. It transformed and changed me, and I used to be a much more angry, obsessive person. Directing means not only directing the game but also managing the team, turning everyone into a team. Therefore, all of these have made me a more patient, more analytical person.”
Perspective on business life: In business life, addicted to collective production; He takes great pleasure in crowded backstages, crowded games, and the time spent together before and after the game. “Playing is something that grows when shared. A magical feeling. I hope I never lose. My motivation is to act, I guess that’s why I chose acting. The moments when I feel happy and meaningful are always when I am on stage and playing games with my friends. As I get older, I understand this feeling better because it is this feeling that always keeps me young and fit. For example, ‘playing games’ is something that I feel the absence of more during the pandemic period.”
Career plan: He thinks his acting and directing feed each other. “I have worked with the same directors for many years and I have been working with different directors for the last four or five years. This of course trains me every time. This year, for the first time, I worked with a completely different school; I admired Mehmet Birkiye’s way of working, the way he handled the game, and the relationship he established with the actor. Every experience teaches something else, if you’re clear enough. I also write a script, there is a movie script that I have been writing for years, we bring it up from time to time, but these are not works that progress very quickly. Apart from that, there was a project I wrote for digital platforms. In other words, the writing side of the job is always going on, but it is not a very fast process to turn it into reality, I continue to write. Everything has its time.”
Future Dream: He wants to do a study on children and youth theater in the future. “If we can reach children from a more accurate place, they will turn into more conscious audiences and they will understand the theater culture. I want to do world-class work that will make them feel better, where storytelling is at the forefront.”
What does he do at home? He says that he understood the value of his home better during the quarantine period during the pandemic period. “I abused my house a little, I haven’t been very interested until now. Loneliness has never frightened me, but in this process, I started to enjoy this situation, so at least for a while, my solitude is very precious to me.”
TV SERIES
2021- Camdaki Kız/Levent
2020- Rise of Empires: Ottoman/ George Sphrantzes
2018 -Avlu / Sinan Oğuz
2017/2018- Hayat Sırları
2017- 7 Yüz/ Onur
2016/2017- Vatanım Sensin / Albay Stavro
2015 Hatırla Gönül / Ali Yücelen
2011/2012- Keşanlı Ali Destanı / Sipsi Selim
2011 Karakol / Aykut Demiroğlu
2010 -Mükemmel Çift / Yiğit Karaman
2010- Kalp Ağrısı / Zeki
2008 Sınıf / Giray
2008 Karamel / Buğra
CINEMA MOVIES
2019- Witch Trilogy / Doctor (Short Film)
2019- Koca Şehir (Short Film)
2018- Direniş Karatay /İsfahani
2016- Unexpected Guest (Short Film)
2016 Şeytan Tüyü/ Kenan
2015 Tehlikeyle Flört / Zafer Tülek
2015 Çekmeceler / Sati
2014 Pek Yakında/ İnce
2013 Behzat Ç. Ankara Yanıyor / Tem Amiri
2012 Htr2b-Dönüşüm / Tayfun
2012 Bu Son Olsun / Tayfun
2011 Bir Avuç Deniz / Bora Çatak
2011- Canavarlar Sofrası/The Monsters’ Dinner – K
2009- Başka Dilde Aşk / Kamuran Akyürek
2009 İlkbahar Sonbahar / Erdal
THEATER GAMES
2015- İki Kişilik Yaz / Midsummer (a play with songs) – Tiyatro Dot
2014- Dövüş Gecesi / Fight Night – Tiyatro Dot
2013- Makas Oyunları 1- Hassas/ Theatre Uncut-Fragile: David Grieg-Tiyatro Dot
2011- Supernova/Beautiful Burnout : Bryony Lavery – Tiyatro Dot
2010- Malafa : Hakan Günday – Tiyatro Dot
2009- Alışveriş ve S***ş/Shopping and Fucking : Mark Ravenhill – Tiyatro Dot
2008- Vur/Yağmala/Yeniden/Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat : Mark Ravenhill – Tiyatro Dot
2008- III. Riçırd Faciası : William Shakespeare – Tiyatro Tem
2007- Kürklü Merkür/Mercury Fur : Philip Ridley – Tiyatro Dot
2006- The Water Hen – Akademia Teatralna Im Alekandra Zelwerowicza
2006- Hamlet : William Shakespeare – Akademia Teatralna Im Alekandra Zelwerowicza
2005- Tartuffe : Moliere – Anadolu Üniversitesi Oyunculuk Bölümü
2005- Oleanna : David Mamet – Anadolu Üniversitesi Oyunculuk Bölümü
2004-Cadı Kazanı : Arthur Miller – Anadolu Üniversitesi Oyunculuk Bölümü
1999-Soytarılar : Vuyic, Obrenoviç, Pavelkıç – Bursa Kültür Sanat Ve Turizm Vakfı Tiyatrosu
1999- Midas’ın Kulakları : Güngör Dilmen – Bursa Kültür Sanat Ve Turizm Vakfı Tiyatrosu
THEATER DIRECTED
2016- Nereye Gitti Bütün Çiçekler (Necessary Targets) – Eve Ensler – Mam’Art Tiyatro
2015-Özel Kadınlar Listesi (Some Girls) – Neil Labute – Mam’Art Tiyatro
2013- Makas Oyunları 1 – Bazı Şeyler Çok Saçma/ Theatre Uncut-Things That Make No Sense : Dennis Kelly – Tiyatro Dot
2013-Yüksek (Overspill) : Ali Taylor – Tiyatro Dot
2011-Öksüzler (oyun) : Dennis Kelly – Tiyatro Dot
AWARDS
2015-19. Afife Tiyatro Ödülleri / Most Successful Actor of the Year/ İki Kişilik Yaz
2015-Tiyatro Eleştirmenleri Birliği (TEB) Ödülleri / Actor of the Year/ İki Kişilik Yaz
2015- 20. Sadri Alışık Tiyatro ve Sinema Oyuncu Ödülleri Seçici Kurul Komedi, Müzikli Oyun ya da Müzikal Özel Ödülü / İki Kişilik Yaz
2008- Sadri Alışık Tiyatro ve Sinema Oyuncuları Ödülleri/ Efes Pilsen Gençlik Özel Ödülü/ Kürklü Merkür