Kemal Sunal (11 November 1944 – 3 July 2000) was a Turkish actor and comedian. He first attracted attention playing a side character in the drama film Canım Kardeşim (1973). Then, he rose to fame as a leading actor in iconic Turkish comedy films such as Köyden İndim Şehire (1974), Mavi Boncuk (1974), Hababam Sınıfı (1975), Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı (1975), Kapıcılar Kralı (1976), Süt Kardeşler (1976), Tosun Paşa (1976), Çöpçüler Kralı (1977), Hababam Sınıfı Tatilde (1977), Şaban Oğlu Şaban (1977), Kibar Feyzo (1978) and Zübük (1980). His final acting role was in the drama film Propaganda (1999).
Career 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 various theatres. For a brief period, he worked in the Kenterler Theatre and debuted in the play Zoraki Tabip. He was later transferred to the Devekuşu Kabare Theatre, where he performed his acting.
He was recognized as a real talent, and started receiving offers for movies with larger budgets and a more famous cast. His first major role was in the film Tatlı Dillim ("My Sweet Talker"), directed by Ertem Eğilmez. In a matter of years, Sunal co-starred alongside Halit Akçatepe, Şener Şen and Münir Özkul.
Perhaps the most famous of all his roles was in Hababam Sınıfı (The Outrageous Class), in which he played the character Şaban, whom most of his classmates called İnek ("Nerd") Şaban. 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 Sınıfı, most probably as a sign of respect to Sunal.
His other notable roles include the title character in Tosun Paşa ("Tosun Pasha"; 1976), Süt Kardeş Şaban in Süt Kardeşler ("The Foster Brothers"; 1976), and Apti—a street sweeper who falls in love with a municipal inspector's fiancée—in Çöpçüler Kralı ("The King of the Street Sweepers"; 1978). He also portrayed a former hospital janitor posing as a doctor in Doktor Civanım ("My Dear Doctor"; 1982) and a naive man attempting to become an athlete to win his crush's affection in Ortadirek Şaban ("Middle Class Şaban"; 1984).
The huge popularity of his movies stemmed not only from their unique humour but also their depiction of the many problems faced by the poor rural people in Turkey during the 1970s and 1980s. In almost all of his films, Kemal Sunal plays a poor man, trying to make a living.
Sunal's last film was Propaganda, which was directed by Sinan Çetin. Sunal played a customs officer-in-charge (presumably) on the Syria–Turkey border. Being a serious 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 the public opinion, this film was not the best of his works. Another significant fact about this film is that it also included Ali Sunal, Kemal Sunal's son, cast as a junior customs officer.
Personal life
Sunal kept himself and his family away from the media and rarely appeared in public. His family originates from the village of Pütürge, in the Doğanyol District of Malatya. People who knew him have commented on how serious he was in his real life, in contrast to the funny characters he played in his movies. Whilst he was at the top of his career, he decided to finish university, which he had dropped out of 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 were 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 this 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 'classmates' from Hababam Sinifi made comments like "Profesorluk Bekliyoruz" ("We expect professorship"). At his graduation ceremony, he made a speech joking that his path of first working and then attending university later in life was better as it allowed him to gain real life experience first.
Death 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 and his wife Gül Sunal (born 1957) had two children, Ali Sunal (born 1977) and Ezo Sunal (born 1985).
Filmography Films Year Film Role Notes1972 Tatlı Dillim Basketballer Debut role1973 Canım Kardeşim Yolcu 1973 Yalancı Yarim Kemal 1973 Oh Olsun Fazıl 1973 Güllü Geliyor Güllü Hit man 1974 Hasret Yanık 1974 Salak Milyoner Saffet 1974 Köyden İndim Şehire Saffet 1974 Salako Salako First leading role1974 Mavi Boncuk Kaymakam Cafer 1975 Şaşkın Damat Apti 1975 Hababam Sınıfı İnek (Cow) Şaban 1975 Hanzo Hanzo / Cabbar Dual role1975 Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı İnek (Cow) Şaban 1976 Tosun Paşa Şaban / Tosun Pasha 1976 Süt Kardeşler Şaban 1976 Sahte Kabadayı Kemal 1976 Meraklı Köfteci Zühtü Karışan 1976 Kapıcılar Kralı Seyid 1976 Hababam Sınıfı Uyanıyor İnek (Cow) Şaban 1977 Hababam Sınıfı Tatilde İnek (Cow) Şaban 1977 Sakar Şakir Şakir 1977 Şabanoğlu Şaban Şaban 1977 İbo İle Güllüşah İbrahim 1977 Çöpçüler Kralı Abdi Şakrak 1978 Avanak Apti Apti 1978 Kibar Feyzo Feyzo 1978 Köşeyi Dönen Adam Adem 1978 Yüz Numaralı Adam Şaban 1978 İyi Aile Çocuğu Kemal / Cemal Dual role1978 İnek Şaban Şaban / Bülent Dual role1979 Umudumuz Şaban Ringo Şaban 1979 Şark Bülbülü Şaban Ballıses 1979 Korkusuz Korkak Mülayim Sert 1979 Dokunmayın Şabanıma Şaban 1979 Bekçiler Kralı Şaban Özgüneş1980 Zübük İbrahim Zübükzade 1980 Devlet Kuşu Mustafa 1980 Gerzek Şaban Osman / Seyfi Dual role1980 Gol Kralı Sait Sarıoğlu 1981 Üç Kağıtçı Rıfkı 1981 Kanlı Nigar Narçın / Abdi Dual role1981 Davaro Memo Davaro 1982 Yedi Bela Hüsnü Hüsnü 1982 Doktor Civanım Kemal 1983 Tokatçı Osman 1983 Kılıbık Kamil 1983 En Büyük Şaban Şaban 1983 Çarıklı Milyoner Bayram 1984 Postacı Yandan Çarklı Adem 1984 Şabaniye Şaban / Şabaniye 1984 Ortadirek Şaban Şaban 1984 Atla Gel Şaban Niyazi 1985 Sosyete Şaban Şaban Ağa / Dilaver Bey Dual role1985 Şendul Şaban Şaban 1985 Şaban Papuçu Yarım 1985 Keriz Zülfü 1985 Katma Değer Şaban Şaban 1985 Gurbetçi Şaban Filmed in Cologne1986 Yoksul Yoksul 1986 Garip Kemal 1986 Tarzan Rıfkı Tarzan Rıfkı 1986 Deli Deli Küpeli Kaymakam 1986 Davacı Yunus 1987 Yakışıklı Selim 1987 Kiracı Kerim 1987 Japon İşi Veysel 1988 Düttürü Dünya Dütdüt Mehmet 1988 Uyanık Gazeteci Ali 1988 Sevimli Hırsız Metin Mertoglu 1988 Polizei Ali Ekber Filmed in West Berlin1988 Öğretmen Teacher Hüsnü 1988 İnatçı Bayram 1988 Bıçkın Ali / Himself Dual role1989 Zehir Hafiye Cemal 1989 Talih Kuşu Osman Abalı 1989 Gülen Adam Yusuf Şaplak 1990 Abuk Sabuk Bir Film Âdemoğlu 1990 Koltuk Belası Zühtü Kaya 1990 Boynu Bükük Küheylan İbrahim Küheylan 1991 Varyemez Ragıp Elibol 1999 Propaganda Mehdi final leading role
Television Year Title Role Notes 1992 Saygılar Bizden Mübasir Riza 1993 Şaban Askerde Şaban 28 episodes 1994 Bay Kamber Bay Kamber 11 episodes 1997 Şaban İle Şirin Şaban 3 episodes
Awards
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
Books YearTitlePublisherISBN 1998 TV ve Sinemada Kemal Sunal Güldürüsü Sel Yayınları 2001 Kemal Sunal Güldürüsü Om Yayınevi See also Şener Şen Nazan Saatci, from movie Tokatçı (1983)
References
Further reading Gül Sunal, Kemal Hadi Gel, Bi Kahve İçelim, Doğan Kitap, Feriha Karasu Gürses, Kemal Sunal Film Başka Yaşam Başka, Sel Yayınları, Istanbul 2002, Nuran Turan, Kemal Sunal Çocukken, Önel Yayınevi, Vadullah Taş, Kemal Sunal Filmlerini Anlatıyor, Esen Kitap
External links