Mehmet Cengiz Bozkurt born 24 December 1965 is a Turkish actor He is best known for his role as Erdal Bakkal in the hit surreal comedy series Leyla ile Mecnun A graduate of Ankara Atatürk Lisesi in 1984 he enrolled in Middle East Technical University to study physics but changed his major to stage acting in 1990 He then moved to England where he lived for 14 years In 1996 he graduated from Goldsmiths University of London with a degree in Media and Communication studies He the briefly shot documentaries for some channels and directed short movies He returned to acting with the encouragement of Mehmet Ergen and worked at Arcola Theatre Upon returning to Turkey he continued his career by appearing in various movies and TV series