Öztürk Serengil

Öztürk Serengil — Biography

Öztürk Serengil was a Yeşilçam actor who rose first as a screen villain and then through slang-laden comedies. He appeared in close to three hundred films, became famous for his Adanalı Tayfur character, and brought catchphrases such as "yeşşe" and "kelaj" into Turkish slang. He died in Istanbul on 11 January 1999, aged 68, and was buried at Çengelköy Cemetery.

The son of a schoolteacher, he was born in the Hopa district of Artvin, left high school and went to Istanbul in 1949. He worked as a painter in Babıali and as a cloakroom attendant at the Ses Tiyatrosu; a small part there caught Muhsin Ertuğrul's eye and led him to the city theatres. His stage career had begun in 1953 with Oğlum Edvard, and he appeared at the Oda Tiyatrosu in 1958 and the Istanbul City Theatre in 1959. In 1954 he entered cinema with Üçüncü Kat Cinayeti, played the villain in 142 films in his early years and then shifted to comedy. Siyah Melek, Lafını Balla Kestim, Beyoğlu Esrarı and Babanın Evlatları mark that path.

From 1966 he also worked as a stage showman alongside his films and was nicknamed the "King of Twist". The contest Gülünüz Güldürünüz, which he prepared and hosted, launched many people into stage and film work. He also recorded political comedy singles; a record parodying a song by Timur Selçuk was withdrawn from sale after a lawsuit. His self-critical book Yeşilçam'ı Benden Sorun appeared in 1985. He married four times and is the father of singer and presenter Seren Serengil.