Istanbul – A museum has been opened in Istanbul in honor of the late Turkish actor Kemal Sunal.
Located in the 60th Yıl Göztepe Park in Istanbul’s Kadiköy district, the museum is a lasting tribute to the life and legacy of the late actor.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said in his opening speech that he was proud to open the museum of „a very valuable artist who made everyone smile and think at the same time“, Hurriyet reports.
The museum was inaugurated with a ceremony attended by Sunal’s family, esteemed friends and personalities from the art world.
Gül Sunal, the wife of Kemal Sunal, expressed her gratitude: „I have not prepared any speeches, I just want to applaud Kemal.“
Sunal (November 11, 1944 – July 3, 2000) was a Turkish popular actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was best known for the film series The Chaotic Class (Hababam Sınıfı), in which he played the student Şaban.
The great popularity of his films is not only due to their unique humor, but also to their portrayal of the many problems of the poor rural population in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s. In almost all of his films, Kemal Sunal plays a poor man trying to make ends meet.
Sunal died on July 3, 2000 as a result of a sudden heart attack on a flight to Trabzon shortly before take-off. According to reports, he was afraid of flying. His death caused nationwide mourning and dominated the news for many days. He was buried at the Zincirlikuyu cemetery in Istanbul.
„Parka gidecekmiş iki gözümün çiçeği.“
Kemal Sunal Müzesi’ni bugün 17.00’de Kadıköy Göztepe 60. Yıl Parkı’nda açıyoruz. Kıymetli sanatçımızın birçok eşyası, filmlerden sahnelerin canlandırıldığı alanlar ve sinema atölyelerinin yer aldığı müzemiz yeşillikler içinde. pic.twitter.com/QIY9oE8Gv4
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (@ekrem_imamoglu) March 15, 2024