Kenan İmirzalıoğlu

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu is a Turkish actor and model. He acted in Deli Yürek (Trans.: Wildheart/Crazy Heart), Yazı Tura (Toss-up), Acı Hayat (Bitter Life), Son Osmanlı Yandım Ali (The Last Ottoman: Knockout Ali), Kabadayı (For Love and Honor), Ezel (Barış Falay & Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), Ejder Kapanı (Dragon Trap, also: Uraz Kaygılaroğlu & Ezgi Mola), Uzun Hikâye (A Long Story), Karadayı (The Uncle In Black/The Uncle Kara, also: Ülkü Hilal Çiftçi & Ulaş Tuna Astepe), Mehmed: Bir Cihan Fatihi (Mehmed: The Conqueror, also: Büşra Develi, Setenay Süer & Mert Yazıcıoğlu), Alef (Aleph, also: Aybüke Pusat & Burcu Kirman), A.B.İ. – Aile Bir İmtihandır (A Broken Inheritance/Family Is a Trial, also: Yaren Yapıcı, Ardıl Zümrüt, Ali Önsöz, Mert Demirci, Tuğçe Açıkgöz, Serkay Tütüncü, Sinan Tuzcu, Asude Kalebek & Afra Saraçoğlu) and more.

Photo Source: Go Türkiye, hidden lover

Facts:

• his lineage traces back to Uzun Hasan, the ruler of the Aq Qoyunlu (Akkoyunlu) State
  • his family’s lineage is based on the Tabanlı tribe of the Bozulus Turkmens of the Akkoyunlu State
  • at the end of the 17th century, his ancestors migrated from the Horasan region of Erzurum due to the Celali Rebellions and settled in the Balâ area, founding Balâ district and Üçem village
  • his grandfather welcomed Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Balâ on 27 December 1919, during Atatürk’s first visit to Ankara and hosted him in his home
• he has an older brother named Derviş and an older sister named Zübeyde Yasemin
• he grew up with the discipline and natural simplicity of (Üçem) village life until the age of 12, being raised with traditional values by his father Mustafa and his mother Yıldız laid the spiritual foundation for the “strong and dignified” leading-man roles he would portray later in life
• after completing his secondary education in Ankara, he moved to Istanbul, where he shaped the direction of his academic and artistic life
• he began modelling during his university years and made his first appearance in a 1995 commercial for YKM Store
• in 1997, he won Best Model of Turkey and subsequently Best Model of the World, becoming the first Turkish male model to earn this title on a global scale
• he married Sinem Kobal in 2016, in 2020, their daughter Lalin was born, followed by their second daughter Leyla, in 2022
• the character he portrayed in Deli Yürek, Yusuf Miroğlu and his code of honour evolved into a cultural phenomenon that influenced the worldview of an entire generation in Türkiye
• the pinnacle of his career was undoubtedly the TV series Ezel
  • achieving global success, the production elevated Kenan to become not only one of Türkiye’s biggest stars, but also a major star across the Middle East and the Balkans
• he hosted the quiz show Kim Milyoner Olmak İster? (the Turkish version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)
• his salary agreement of $4,000,000 in 2012 for the new series they will shoot with Ay Yapım company was announced to be the highest salary for a TV series actor in Türkiye (for the TV series Karadayı)
• following the 2023 earthquake, he once again demonstrated his social awareness through his relief and support efforts
• a video of him responding humorously to a fan’s surprise at seeing him at Jummah (Friday) prayer, saying something along the lines of “You never know who has wealth and faith” attracted great attention and went viral
• he does not have any official or personal social media accounts
• he is a devoted Galatasaray fan