Tamer Balcı

Tamer Balcı (born Toma Valcis, 1 January 1917 – 10 April 1993), also known as Toma Balcı, was a Turkish sportsman and film actor of Greek descent. Balcı is considered to be the best hammer thrower of the country from 1940 to 1955 as he set the national record 11 times and was a 15-time national champion. He was a non-starter in the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics while representing Turkey. He started his acting career in 1951 and appeared in 24 movies, including as Tarzan in Tarzan İstanbul'da (Tarzan in İstanbul).

Early life and sports career He was born as Toma Valcis in Istanbul, Turkey, on 1 January 1917. He spent most of his life in Heybeliada and was of Greek descent. He had his early education on the island and started sports at an early age, initially as a footballer and swimmer, and later as a javelin thrower. Following his secondary education, he moved to mainland Istanbul and became a member of the Galatasaray Sports Club. He was conscripted into the Turkish Army for his mandatory draft in 1940. Following his return from the army, he focused on hammer throwing instead. His final personal best, also the national record at the time, was set in October 1951 and was .

Acting career Throughout an acting career which stretched from 1951 to 1976, Balcı appeared in 24 movies. His first acting performance was with 5 Fingers (1952), where he had a minor role. His first title role came with the 1952 movie Tarzan İstanbul'da (Tarzan in Istanbul), directed by Orhan Atadeniz, where Balcı played Tarzan. More than half of the movie was made with scenes taken from Tarzan the Ape Man (1932); the rest of the movie was shot in Istanbul, mostly in the Belgrad Forest. Balcı was cast for the role due to his height and body physique.

He was the stunt performer for Errol Flynn in the 1957 movie Istanbul. Balcı's final appearances were the 1976 movies Sahte Kabadayı and Hınç, starring Kemal Sunal and Cüneyt Arkın respectively. He played the antagonist in both movies. Tamer Balcı died on 10 April 1993 and was buried at the Heybeliada Greek Orthodox Cemetery; his gravestone uses his original Greek birth name.

Filmography