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Birol Ünel

Birol Ünel

Actor · Died September 3, 2020, aged 59 · Silifke, Mersin, Turkey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Birol Ünel (born 18 August 1961) was a Turkish-German actor who played in German and Turkish films, television, and theatrical productions. His name, "Birol", means "unique" in Turkish. Ünel was born in Mersin in southern Turkey. In 1968, his family moved to Brinkum near Bremen in Germany. He studied acting at Hanover Conservatory. Ünel began as a theatre actor at the Berliner Tacheles where he played the lead and also directed the play "Caligula". Ünel made his film debut in 1988's The Passenger. He played a private detective in the film Dealer which he followed up with a role in Fatih Akın's Im Juli. Birol then acted in the award winning Gegen die Wand as Cahit Tomruk. He won the German film prize for best actor for this role. His latest films have been Transylvania, Seven Heroes and Soul Kitchen. Ünel also acted in the hit Turkish film Hırsız var! in 2005. Description above from the Wikipedia article Birol Ünel, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 18, 1961
Died
September 3, 2020 (aged 59)
From
Silifke, Mersin, Turkey
Works as
Actor
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 53 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 11% in 30 days

What are Birol Ünel's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
26%
Survival
25%
Society
21%
Self
19%
Power
6%
Ideas
3%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 3 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 5

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
4
Tense
2
Dread
2
Warm
2
Hopeful
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Birol Ünel's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Birol Ünel's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

53 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hürkus: Göklerdeki Kahraman(2018)

    as İvan

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Falling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Aslan

  • Plan B(2016)

    as Hausmeister

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Back to Nothing(2016)

    as Kongo

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • I'm Off Then(2015)

    as Americo

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Netekim Karakolu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Actor

  • Looking for Eimish(2012)

    as Lupô

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Showman Olli Schulz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Therapeut

  • Sleepless Night(2011)

    as Yilmaz

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Cricket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Worker

  • Soul Kitchen(2009)

    as Shayn Weiss

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Moon and Other Lovers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Gansar

  • Valerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Jaro

  • The Unpolished (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Axel

  • Strangers(2007)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • House of the Sleeping Beauties(2006)

    as Herr Gold

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Transylvania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Tchangalo

  • KRIMI.DE (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Herr Weiß

  • Robbery Alla Turca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Pamir

  • Kalbin Zamanı (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Demir

  • German Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Birol Ünel

  • Head-On(2004)

    as Cahit Tomruk

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Not a Lovestory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Guru

  • King of Thieves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Birol

  • Der gestohlene Mond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Nick

  • Blackberry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Sylvester

  • My Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Hasan

  • Inspektor Rolle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Tschokan Bischkek

  • Enemy at the Gates(2001)

    as Politruk

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Planet Alex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Milan

  • Der Puma - Kämpfer mit Herz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Bernd Schlegel

  • In July (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Club Doyen

  • Tour Abroad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Osman

  • Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Günther

  • Unknown Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Moritz

  • Dealer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Erdal

  • Der Clown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Cosmo Nunnari

  • Frankfurt Millennium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Mustafa

  • Tierarzt Dr. Engel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · as Siggi Kirchlechner

  • Dead Pool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · as Zohair Y. Akache aka 'Captain Mahmoud'

  • Buddies - Leben auf der Überholspur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • Friedemann Brix - Eine Schwäche für Mord (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Dieter Lohmann

  • Landgang für Ringo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Yusuf

  • Alarm for Cobra 11: The Motorway Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Harkan Bülent

  • Balko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Achim Koch · as Tobias Wölke

  • Mau Mau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Schulte

  • A Wopbobaloobop a Lopbamboom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Actor

  • Welcome to Germany(1988)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Der Fahnder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Erol · as Nick Peters

  • A Case For Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 1 episode · as Klaus

  • Auf Achse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 1 episode · as Kemal

  • Tatort(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Gürkan Agban · as Henkel · as Houari Al'Bakr · as Rico Baumann

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • North Pole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 90th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 52 titles, 51 of them dated from 1970 to 2018; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

Soul Kitchen (2009)

$18M worldwide

Highest rated

Head-On (2004)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

19702018

Peak 2005 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 2000Screen debut· In July

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting52 of 52: 52 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score49th

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s4 · acting1990s14 · acting2000s22 · acting2010s10 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Birol Ünel's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Hürkus: Göklerdeki Kahraman (2018)

88th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Head-On (2004)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 43. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Birol Ünel's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Birol Ünel work with?

People who share at least 2 of Birol Ünel's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fatih Akin shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers