In 1985 he entered the theatre department of the Istanbul State Conservatory and made his first screen appearance, alongside Kemal Sunal, in Davacı (1986) directed by Zeki Ökten before graduating in 1990.

He had his first major roles in the television series Mahallenin Muhtarlari (1992) and Yalancı (1993) for TRT.

He had a minor appearance in Sokaktaki Adam (1995), directed by Biket İlhan, and a featured role in the short Bana Old and Wise'ı Çal (1998), directed by Çağan Irmak before achieving success with On Board (1998), directed by Serdar Akar, for which he won best actor awards at film festivals in Antalya and Ankara as well as the Orhan Anzac Award.

A series of film a television roles followed, including appearances in Vizontele (2001), directed by Yılmaz Erdoğan and Ömer Faruk Sorak, and Istanbul Tales (2005), directed by Ümit Ünal et al.

Appearances in Destiny (2006), directed by Zeki Demirkubuz, and The Edge of Heaven (2006), directed by Fatih Akın, were followed by, what Rekin Teksoy describes as, a "convincing performance"[1] in Takva: A Man's Fear of God (2007), directed by Özer Kızıltan, for which he won best actor awards at film festivals in Antalya and Nuremberg as well as the Asia Pacific Screen Award.