Laughing face of Turkish cinema remembered on 21st death anniversary

ISTANBUL

Kemal Sunal, the comedy giant of Turkish cinema, was commemorated at his grave in Istanbul on the 21st anniversary of his death.

Sunal’s family, veteran actors of the Turkish cinema industry and loyal fans of the movie star attended the commemoration ceremony held in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

“Though 21 years is a long time, it seems as if it was only yesterday that we lost him. The feeling of pain and longing is deepening,” said Gül Sunal, the wife of the actor, adding that she felt happy to see Sunal’s fans at the ceremony.

Sunal appeared in more than 80 movies in over three decades, becoming synonymous with laughter for many generations in the country, mainly due to the ever naive demeanor and lightheartedness of the many characters he played.

Popular comedies “Süt Kardeşler” (Foster Brothers, 1976), “Sakar Şakir” (Clumsy Sakir, 1976), “Tosun Paşa” (Tosun Pasha, 1976) and “Çöpçüler Kralı” (The King of The Street Cleaners, 1978) cemented Sunal’s place in the film industry.

Sunal received Best Actor awards for his leading role in “Kapıcılar Kralı” (King of The Doormen, 1977) at the prestigious Antalya Film Festival and by the Motion Picture Authors Association (SİYAD).

He also got the Best Actor award at the Ankara Film Festival for his role in “Düttürü Dünya” (Queer World) in 1989 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1998 Antalya Film Festival.

The famed actor died at the age of 56 after suffering from a heart attack on a plane on July 3, 2000.