Kenan Imirzalioglu

Biography

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu is one of Turkey’s biggest television stars, famous for the title role in the revenge drama Ezel, Mahir in Karadayı and Yavuz in Deli Yürek, as well as action films such as Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali and Ejder Kapanı. He was born on 18 June 1974 in Üçem, a village in Bala, Ankara.

Early life

İmirzalıoğlu grew up in his family’s village until the age of twelve, then finished school in Ankara while living with his aunt. His family has deep roots in Bala: his grandfather hosted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during his first visit to Ankara in 1919. He studied mathematics at Yıldız Technical University.

From model to actor

He began modelling at university and in 1997 won both Best Model of Turkey and Best Model of the World. The win caught the attention of producer Osman Sınav, who cast him as the lead in the action series Deli Yürek. The show made him famous across Turkey and was followed by the film Deli Yürek: Bumerang Cehennemi (2001).

Career highlights

He co-starred with Uğur Yücel in the detective series Alacakaranlık and led the films Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali and Kabadayı. In 2009 he returned to TV with Ezel, a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo that is considered one of the best Turkish dramas ever made. He then starred as Mahir opposite Bergüzar Korel in Karadayı (2012–2015), the epic Mehmed: Bir Cihan Fatihi and the BluTV mystery Alef with Melisa Sözen. He also hosted the Turkish version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

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