41 years have passed since the death of Yılmaz Güney

The artist, whose real name is Yılmaz Pütün, was born in 1937 in the Yenice village of Adana as the child of Hamit and Güllü Pütün.

Having completed his primary and secondary education in Adana, Güney, at the age of 13, started carrying 16-millimeter film reels to cinemas on his bicycle to earn his pocket money and displayed movie posters on the board on his back.

The accomplished artist worked as a film distributor for the regional offices of And Film and Kemal Film. Güney's interest in literature was a key factor in his turning to cinema.

Having met Atıf Yılmaz, one of Yeşilçam's master directors, through Yaşar Kemal, Güney worked as the master director's assistant for a while.

Yılmaz Güney made his professional acting debut in 1959 with the films "Bu Vatanın Çocukları" (Children of This Land) and "Fallow Deer," both written by him and directed by Atıf Yılmaz. Following these films, he adopted the surname "Güney." In 1961, while working as an assistant director on the set of Atıf Yılmaz's film "Tatlı Bela," he was arrested and imprisoned until 1962.

Güney returned to cinema in 1963, mainly making adventure films and was highly acclaimed for his character as a bully in the 1963 film "Both of them were Brave".

The master artist, who earned the nickname "Ugly King" during these years, was chosen as the "Best Actor" at the 1967 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for his role in the 1967 film "The Law of the Borders" directed by Lütfi Akad.

In the following years, Güney took part in over a hundred films as a director, screenwriter and actor, including "The Damning Bullet", "I Live As I Die", "Kızılırmak", "Karakoyun", "İnce Cumali", "The Ugly King", "Seyit Han", "The Bride of the Soil", "The Hungry Wolves", "Zeyno", "Acı", "The Profiteers", "The Father" and "Ağıt".

Having completed his military service between 1968 and 1970, Güney broke new ground in Turkish cinema history by returning with 6 awards from the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival in 1970 with the film "Umut" in which he starred as the screenwriter, director, producer and lead actor.

Distinguished from Yılmaz Güney's other productions with its cinematic technique, language and political aspect, "Umut" became a pioneer for political films that would be produced later.

"Umut" won Best Actor at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and the Special Selection Committee Award at the Grenoble Film Festival. Banned by the Censorship Board, the film was named one of the 10 best Turkish films of the century at the 47th Cinema Critics Association Turkish Cinema Awards Ceremony in 2015.

In March 1972, Güney was detained again for aiding revolutionaries and sentenced to 10 years in prison and exile. He was released under a general amnesty in 1974. That same year, he completed "Friend," in which he served as director, producer, screenwriter, and lead actor.

Güney, who was sentenced to 19 years in prison in 1974 as a result of his involvement in a murder case, compiled the letters he wrote to his wife during his time in prison in a book called "Selimiye Letters."

The film "Sürü" (The Herd), the script of which was written by Yılmaz Güney while he was in prison, was adapted to the big screen by director Zeki Ökten.

The 1981 film "Yol" (Road), written by Güney and directed by Şerif Gören, won the "Golden Palme" award at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Turkish film to win an award at the festival.

The artist, whose Turkish citizenship was revoked in 1982 following the military coup, was nominated for the "Special Jury Prize" at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984 with the film "The Wall", which he shot in France in 1983.

Güney, who played an important role in opening Turkish cinema to the world and received numerous awards both at home and abroad for his works, took part in 114 films as an actor, 26 as a director, 15 as a producer, and 64 as a screenwriter.

Yılmaz Güney passed away in France on September 9, 1984, due to stomach cancer and was buried in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.