Iconic actor of Turkish cinema commemorated

Tarık Akan, one of the most notable names of the "Yeşilçam" era of modern Turkish cinema, was commemorated at various events in Istanbul on the fifth anniversary of his death on Sept. 16.

Akan's family, veteran actors of the Turkish cinema industry and loyal fans of the movie star attended the commemoration ceremony held in Zuhuratbaba Cemetery in the Bakırköy district.

"It seems like a long time from the outside, but our pain makes it seem like it was only yesterday. Unfortunately, that pain does not go away," Barış Üregül, the actor's son, said in a speech he made during the memorial.

After the ceremony, the fans of the artist left carnations on the grave.

Separately, Akan was commemorated at the traditional 'Respect to the Masters Night' organized by Istanbul's Büyükçekmece Municipality on the 107th anniversary of Turkish cinema.

"We got together a lot in Bakırköy with Tarık Akan and many artists of the period. They were our older brothers," said Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün, noting that the actor had contributed to Turkish cinema, but he was also a thinker with his intellectual background.

The program continued with a movie in which Akan took the leading role.

A road from prison to Cannes

Akan began school in the northeastern province of Erzurum but finished it in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri due to his father's postings as a military officer.

Following his father's retirement, he began to live with his family in Istanbul and enrolled at Yıldız Technical University to become a mechanical engineer, but then decided to study journalism.

Before he stepped into the glamorous life of cinema, Akan worked as a lifeguard on Bakırköy beach and as a street vendor.

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