Tarık Akan (born as Tarık Tahsin Üregül in 13 December 1949, Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish film actor and producer who has been active since the 1970s.

Biography[link]

Tarık Akan was born as Tarık Üregül in Istanbul in 1949. His family was constantly moving around Turkey due to his father's occupation in the military. Before he started his acting career he worked as a lifeguard at beaches and at a boat renting place. He received a degree in mechanical engineering at Yıldız Technical University. He entered a contest of a famous magazine called Ses ("Voice") and ended up runner up. He studied acting under the eye of famous Turkish film director Ertem Eğilmez.

He made his film debut in 1970 at the age of 21 in Vefasız. At first, most of his roles were in romantic comedies. Later in his career, he has taken on more political and dramatic roles. He has acted in a total of 110 films to date and has won numerous awards from various festivals including Cannes and Berlin. He won an Honourable Mention at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Pehlivan.^[1]

He has also directed several productions such as documentaries and serials for television. In 2002, he published his first book "Anne Kafamda Bit Var", a biography of his life. He has three children from his marriage with Yasemin Erkut - two sons and one daughter.

In 1991 he opened his own school in Bakırköy, Özel Taş İlköğretim Okulu.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tarık Akan at the Internet Movie Database

It has been suggested that Kemal Sunal filmography be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2011.

Kemal Sunal (11 November 1944, Istanbul - 3 July 2000, Istanbul) was a master of comedy in the Turkish history of cinema. Famed for his parts as "İnek Şaban", "Tosun Paşa", "Kibar Feyzo", "Süt Kardeşler". With "Hababam Sınıfı", "Kapıcılar Kralı" and "Davaro", Sunal gained large popularity amongst Turkish cinema goers and was famed for his role as "Şaban", a name he most often used in his films. His character in films and sayings often reflected the problems the Turkish people face and the country.

Career[link]

Kemal Sunal graduated from Vefa Lisesi (Vefa High School). In his early ages, he started pursuing what was to become a long and successful acting career, in minor roles in theatres. For a brief period, he worked in the Kenterler Theatre and took part in his first play Zoraki Takip. He was later transferred to the Devekuşu Kabare Theatre, where he performed his acting.

He was recognized as a true talent, and started receiving offers with larger budgets and more famous casts. His first film was by Ertem Eğilmez. In a matter of years, Sunal co-starred with other actors from the old school, such as Halit Akçatepe, Şener Şen and Münir Özkul.

Perhaps the most famous of all his parts was when he played in the "hababam sinifi" and was known by the name of "Şaban" but most of his class mates just call him inek (cow) Şaban. The member of Hababam Sınıfı (The Outrageous Class), was a good laugh for many. İnek Şaban was constantly bullied and humiliated by his friends, but this never kept him from thinking the unthinkable, like digging a tunnel to escape school grounds (which later, turned out to lead to the vice-principal’s office) or smoking in the school attic. The character was so pure and so fixed in the memories of the Turkish people, it was never replaced by another actor in the recent re-shootings of Hababam Sinifi, most probably as a sign of respect to Sunal.

His other notable characters include: Tosun Pasha, a fake pasha; Süt Kardeş Şaban, a sailor; Çöpçüler Kralı, a foolish garbage man, who fell in love with a municipality officer’s fiancee; Doktor Civanım, a former hospital janitor pretending to be a doctor upon his return to his home village; and finally "Orta Direk Şaban", a naive man trying to become an athlete to impress his crush.

Apart from the hilariousness of his movies, one of the reasons that they were so popular were because they addressed many of the problems faced by the urban poor in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s. In almost all of his films, Kemal Sunal plays a poor man, trying to make something of himself.

Sunal’s last film was Propaganda, which was directed by director Sinan Çetin. Sunal, played a customs officer-in-charge (presumably) on the Syrian border. Being a drama, this film was a contrast to his other works. As the plot unfolded, Sunal’s character fell into despair, trying to survive the dilemma between his duties as an officer of the law and his duties as a friend. In public opinion, this film was not the best of jubilees for the master. In fact, it had not been meant to be a jubilee at all. Another significant fact about this film is that it also included Ali Sunal, Kemal Sunal’s son, cast as a junior customs officer.

Filmography[link]

In his successful career, he starred in a total of 87 films.^[1]

Personal life[link]

Sunal kept himself and his family away from the media and rarely appeared in public. People who knew him have commented on how serious he was in his real life, in contrast to the hilarious characters he played in his movies. Whilst he was at the top of his career, he decided to graduate from university, which he had left in his early career. Despite his fame, he attended the university like a regular student and stated that "that was the way he liked it to be".

Sunal’s dreams of higher-education had been disrupted in 1980, during the period of military takeover. His attempts to earn a degree finally paid off in 1995, when he earned his bachelor’s degree in Radio Television and Cinema Studies from Marmara University. He then decided to pursue a master’s degree (the topic of his thesis being himself), which he earned in 1998, also from Marmara University. This incident was covered by the media with headlines like "İnek Şaban Master Yaptı" (Şaban the Cow got a master’s degree) while his 'class-mates' from Hababam Sinifi made comments like "Profesorluk Bekliyoruz" ("We expect full professorship"). At his graduation ceremony, he made a speech where he joked that his path of first working and then attending university later in life was better as it allowed people to gain real life experience earlier.

Kemal Sunal died on July 3, 2000, as a result of a sudden heart attack aboard a flight to Trabzon just before take off. He was reported to be afraid of flying. His death caused mourning that swept the entire nation and dominated news coverage for many days. He was interred at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul.

Kemal Sunal was married to Gül Sunal and he had two children, Ali and Ezo Sunal. 3 days later ismail mazi was born.

Opinions[link]

His place in the hearts of Turks can be exemplified using quotes from Bülent Ecevit, who was Prime Minister when Sunal died and Sertab Erener, who is a Eurovision award winner Turkish pop singer:

"I am a Kemal Sunal fan. I was never tired of watching his films, nor will I ever be. He was a great artist." -Bülent Ecevit

"This is not my personal finding but if we were to ask : "What is our greatest common denominator in this country?" the answer would be "Kemal Sunal". -Sertab Erener

Awards[link]

• 1977: 14. Antalya Film Şenliği (14th Antalya Film Festival), Best Actor, Kapıcılar Kralı
• 1998: 35. Antalya Film Şenliği (35th Antalya Film Festival), Lifetime honorary award, Kapıcılar Kralı
• 1989: 2. Ankara Film Şenliği (2nd Ankara Film Festival), Best Actor, Düttürü Dünya

Death[link]

Kemal Sunal died in July 3, 2000 (at the age of 55). He died of a heart attack just minutes before his plane took off. He was going to Trabzon to appear in the film Balalayka.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kemal Sunal at the Internet Movie Database

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

Şener Şen (26 December 1941 in Adana, Turkey) is a Turkish film and theatre actor, who has won the Golden Orange for Best Actor twice for his roles in Mr. Muhsin (1985) and Lovelorn (2005), the Golden Orange for Best Supporting Actor for Çöpçüler Krali (1977) and a Golden Orange Lifetime Achievement Award.

Biography[link]

Şener Şen began acting in 1958 at the age of 17 as an amateur at the Yeşil Sahne Theater in Cağaloğlu. From 1964 to 1966 he taught in elementary schools in the villages of eastern Anatolia. In 1966 he returned to the stage at the City Theater in Istanbul. He made his film debut with a small role in the drama film So-Called Girls (1967), directed by Nejat Saydam.

He maintained a prolific output throughout the 70's as a supporting cast member in a number of films by popular Turkish comedy actor Kemal Sunal, most significantly as Body Ekrem in the Hababam Sınıfı film series, and in 1978 he received the Golden Orange for Best Supporting Actor for Çöpçüler Krali (1977), directed by Zeki Ökten.

From 1980 to 1982 he continued his theater work in Germany. His first leading film role was alongside Müjde Ar in the comedy The Shalvar Trouser Trial (1983), directed by Kartal Tibet, for which he was named Best Film Actor by a number of film and stage publications, and he won the Golden Orange for Best Actor for his roles in Mr. Muhsin (1985), written and directed by Yavuz Turgul.

He starred in the award-winning The Bandit (1996), written and directed by Yavuz Turgul, for which he was also the executive producer. In 2004 he received a Golden Orange Lifetime Achievement Award and he won the Golden Orange for Best Actor a second time for his role in Lovelorn (2005), also written and directed by Yavuz Turgul.

He is the son of Turkish actor Ali Şen and was married to Turkish actress Şermin Hürmeriç from 1989 until their divorce in 1997.

Filmography[link]

TV shows[link]

• İkinci Bahar

Awards[link]

• 1978 15. Antalya Film Festivali (15th Antalya Film Festival), Çöpçüler Kralı, Best Supporting Actor
• 1987 24. Antalya Film Festivali (15th Antalya Film Festival), Muhsin Bey, Best Actor
• 1997 Valencia Film Festival, Eşkiya, Best Actor
• 2005 42. Antalya Film Festivali (15th Antalya Film Festival), Gönül Yarası, Best Actor

External links[link]

• Fan Page www.senersen.net
• Şener Şen at the Internet Movie Database
• Şener Şen, Turkish Movies for English-speakers