Tarık Akan (born Tarık Tahsin Üregül; 13 December 1949 – 16 September 2016) was a Turkish film actor and producer, who started his activity in 1965.
Early life Akan was born as Tarık Tahsin Üregül in Istanbul on 13 December 1949. He was the third child of the family after a daughter and a son. His family was constantly moving around Turkey due to his father's occupation in the military. Schooled in Erzurum, he completed the elementary education in Kayseri. Following his father's retirement, the family moved to Istanbul and settled in Bakırköy. Akan attended Yıldız Technical University to study mechanical engineering, graduated later from the College of Journalist.
Before he started his acting career, he worked as a lifeguard at beaches and at a boat renting place in Bakırköy.
He completed his military service in Denizli in 1979.
He was jailed for two-and-half months with cell confinement following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. A right-wing politics daily defamed him with a false news in the headline for a speech he allegedly addressed in Germany in early 1981, leading to a long court case demanding for 12 years imprisonment.
In 1986, he married Yasemin Erkut. He became father of a son, Barış Zeki Üregül, the same year. Two years later, twins, Yaşar Özgür, a son, and Özlem, a daughter, were born. The couple divorced in 1989.
His son Barış Zeki began an acting career in 2009 with the film Deli Deli Olma, in which he played with his father and portrayed the young actor Tarık Akan.
Acting career He entered a movie actor contest of the magazine Ses ("Voice"), and ended up runner up. He studied acting under the eye of famous Turkish film director Ertem Eğilmez (1929–1989) and entered into the "list of unforgettables" with Hababam Sınıfı, Bizim Aile, Canım Kardeşim.
He made his film debut in 1971 at the age of 21 in Solan Bir Yaprak Gibi, and adopted the stage name "Tarık Akan". Between 1970 and 1975, in the heyday of Yeşilçam, he acted in 12 films a year in average. He appeared with his ex-girlfriend Emel Sayın in "Mavi Boncuk", "Yalancı Yarim", Hülya Koçyiğit in "Sev Kardeşim", "Yeryüzünde Bir Melek", Filiz Akın in Tatlı Dillim, Necla Nazır in "Delisin", "Ateş Böceği".
At first, most of his roles were in romantic comedies and his partner is Gülşen Bubikoğlu in many films. Later in his career, he has taken on more political and dramatic roles. The first film of this genre was Nehir, in which he shared the role with Cüneyt Arkın. Political films like Maden, Sürü, Yol and Kanal followed.
He acted in a total of 110 films, and won numerous awards from various festivals including Cannes and Berlin. He won an Honourable Mention at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Pehlivan.
Later years He also directed several productions such as documentaries and serials for television. In 2002, he published his first book Anne Kafamda Bit Var, a biography of his life and his time in prison.
In 1991, he took over the elementary school in Bakırköy, in which he was educated, and transferred it to his own Özel Taş İlköğretim Okulu.
In 2005, he became the chairman of the education-aimed "Nesin Foundation", succeeding Ali Nesin, the son of the founder Aziz Nesin. In his later years, he was served as chairman of the "Nazım Hikmet Cultural and Arts Foundation".
Illness and death Akan contracted lung cancer, and was in treatment for over one year. In the early hours of 16 September 2016, he died at the age of 66 in the intensive care station of a private hospital in Istanbul.
On 18 September, he was interred at Zuhuratbaba Cemetery in Bakırköy following a memorial service held in Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage and the religious funeral service at Teşvikiye Mosque. The funeral was attended by thousands of people, his castmates, former President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the leader of the main opposition party Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Filmography Year Film Role Note 1971 Solan Bir Yaprak Gibi Debut role; Melek mi, Şeytan mı? Beyoğlu Güzeli Emine Vefasız1972 Suçlu Üç Sevgili Tatlı Dillim Sisli Hatıralar Sev Kardeşim Kaderimin Oyunu Azat Kuşu Aşkların En Güzeli1973 Feryat Para Canım Kardeşim Umut Dünyası Yeryüzünde Bir Melek Yalancı Yarim Oh Olsun Bebek Yüzlü1974 Esir Hayat Boşver Arkadaş Kanlı Deniz Mahçup Delikanlı Yaz Bekarı Memleketim The Blue Bead1975 Delisin Hababam Sınıfı Damat Ferit Bizim Aile Gece Kuşu Zehra Evcilik Oyunu Çapkın Hırsız Ateş Böceği Ah Nerede1976 Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı Öyle Olsun Kader Bağlayınca Aşk Dediğin Laf Değildir Canı / Polizia selvaggia Bilingual film1977 Bizim Kız Sevgili Dayım Babanin Evlatlari Bilingual film Baraj Şeref Sözü Nehir1978 Lekeli Melek Sürü Seninle Son Defa Maden The Canal1979 Demiryol Adak1981 Herhangi Bir Kadın Delikan1982 Yol Arkadaşım Kaçak1983 Gecenin Sonu Derman Çocuklar Çiçektir Beyaz Ölüm1984 Yosma Pehlivan Kayıp Kızlar Damga Alev Alev1985 Tele Kızlar Son Darbe Paramparça Kan Bir Avuç Cennet1986 Kıskıvrak Ses Halkali köle Beyoğlu`nun Arka Yakası Adem ile Havva Acı Dünyalar1987 Su da yanar Yağmur Kaçakları Skandal Kızımın Kanı çark1988 Üçüncü göz Kimlik El Kapilari Dönüş1989 Leyla İle Mecnun Bilingual film; Isa Musa Meryem 1990 İkili Oyunlar Karartma Geceleri Bir Küçük Bulut Berdel1991 Uzun ince Bir Yol Sîyabend û Xecê Kurdish-language film Bir Kadın Düşmanı Devlerin Ölümü1993 Yolcu Çözülmeler 1995 Aşk Üzerine Söylenmemiş Herşey-Hep Aynı 1997 Mektup1999 Hayal kurma oyunlari Eylül Fırtınası 2002 Meşrutiyet - Abdülhamit Düşerken2003 Gülüm Vizontele Tuuba 2006 Ankara cinayeti2009 Deli Deli Olma Karşıyaka Memleket Nazir Hikmet Final role
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