He was born in 1937. Studied Law and economics. In 1958 he published his first short stories and began working as scriptwriter, assistant director and actor. He began his career with commercial heroic melodramas and soon becoming a matinee idol, nicknamed The Ugly King. His films Hope and The Friend became landmark films in social realistic Turkish films. He was arrested in 1974. He continued scripting and supervising films, such as The Herd, The Enemy and The Road. In 1981 he escaped from prison and settled in France. He won numerous awards, including best film in Cannes. In France he directed The Wall, in 1982, he died in 1984 in Paris.