Kemal Sunal

Kemal Sunal, born in Istanbul back in '44, is basically a legend in Turkish cinema. He came up in Fatih, went to Vefa High School, and honestly, nobody expected the shy kid to end up making half the country laugh until they cried. He actually kicked things off in theater, not film—his first crack at the stage was in this play called "Unwilling Doctor." After that, he hung out with Ulvi Uraz and worked at the Devekusu Kabare Theatre, which was kind of a big deal at the time. At first, Sunal just snagged minor parts, nothing flashy. But post-1973? Dude blew up. He started landing these standout roles in all-star ensemble movies and the critics finally saw what audiences already knew—this guy was gold. 1977 rolls around and he snags the Golden Orange at Antalya Film Fest, cementing his spot as a Turkish comedy icon. His filmography is stacked—everyone knows him from "Hababam Sınıfı," "Kapıcılar Kralı," "Salako," "İnek Şaban," and "Davaro." If you grew up in Turkey, you definitely saw at least one of those on TV. Sunal was that rare actor who could make you laugh until your sides hurt, but there was always a little bit of heart under the slapstick. His last act was in Sinan Çetin's "Propaganda" in '99, and yeah, the guy even popped up in a TV commercial or two. Tragically, Sunal passed away from a heart attack in 2000, literally just after boarding a plane at Ataturk Airport. He was supposed to shoot "Balalaika" with Ali Özgentürk. His death really hit the country hard—politicians, fans, everyone. Turkey lost an absolute icon that day.