Erdal Beşikçioğlu

Erdal Beşikcioğlu was born on January 5, 1970, in Ankara, Turkey. His father is from Ünye (Ordu) and has Laz ancestry, while his mother comes from an Albanian family that migrated from Pristina to Ankara. He is the nephew of İlhan Cavcav, the former president of the Gençlerbirliği football club. He graduated from Hacettepe University State Conservatory in 1993. During his studies, he participated in creative drama workshops led by British director William Gaskill. He began his acting career at the State Theaters immediately after graduation. In the 1995-1996 season, he served as the deputy director of the Diyarbakır State Theater. He retired from the Ankara State Theater in 2015. He gained widespread popularity for his leading role as Commissioner Behzat Ç. in the cult series "Behzat Ç. Bir Ankara Polisiyesi" (Behzat Ç.: An Ankara Police Story, 2010-2013) and its films. Among his other works are the series "Köprü" (The Bridge, 2006-2008) as Faruk Yazıcı, "Reaksiyon" (Reaction, 2014), "46 Yok Olan" (46: The Lost, 2016), "Hakim" (The Judge, 2022), and the films "Bal" (Honey, 2010), "Kurtlar Vadisi Filistin" (Valley of the Wolves: Palestine, 2010), and "Bergen" (2022). In 2022, he participated in the music album "Tirat" with the track "Tirat by Erdal Beşikçioğlu". He has been married to actress Elvin Beşikcioğlu since 1991 and has a daughter, Derin, and a son, Ömer. Since 2024, he has been the mayor of the Etimesgut district (Ankara), elected from the Republican People's Party (CHP).