In 1943, he made his debut in the movie Dertli Pınar at the age of 5 and made more appearances in other movies in some child roles. In 1956. he joined the army and stayed there for less than 2 years before returning to acting.
Akçatepe became a household name for his parts in Ah Nerede Vah Nerede in 1960 and the movies Yasak, Gündoğarken and Semaya baktım Seni Gördüm in 1963. In 1975, he acted in Hababam Sınıfı and then later its sequels Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı, Hababam Sınıfı Dokuz Doğuruyor and Hababam Sınıfı Tatilde.