Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthdate
1944-11-11
Day of Death
2000-07-03
Place of Birth
İstanbul, Türkiye
Kemal Sunal
Biography
Kemal Sunal (11 November 1944 – 3 July 2000) was a Turkish actor and comedian. With Hababam Sınıfı, Kapıcılar Kralı and Davaro, Sunal gained large popularity amongst Turkish cinema goers and was famed for his character "Şaban", a role he frequently played. 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 bigger role was in the film "Tatlı Dillim" 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 parts was when he played in Hababam Sınıfı (The Outrageous Class) and was known by the name of "Şaban", but most of his classmates just called him 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.
Filmography (83)
Balalayka
2000
Propaganda
1999
Varyemez
1991
Koltuk Belası
1990
Abuk Sabuk Bir Film
1990
Boynu Bükük Küheylan
1990
The Laughing Man
1989
Zehir Hafiye
1989
Sevimli Hırsız
1989
Talih Kuşu
1989
Polizei
1988
The Teacher
1988
Queer World
1988
Bıçkın
1988
