The present Doodle, shown by Istanbul, Turkey-based guest artist Sedat Girgin, celebrates the 96th birthday of prolific Turkish comedian and actor Sadri Alışık.
Born in Istanbul on this day 1925, Mehmet Sadrettin “Sadri” Alışık became hopelessly enamored with the performing arts at 7 years of age subsequent to going to a local play. To conceal his dramatic ambitions from his dad, who disapproved of acting as a career, Alışık selected a university painting program post-high school to disguise the time he spent acting in different Istanbul theaters.
Alışık’s clandestine dedication before long paid off, appearing on the cinema in the 1944 film “Günahsizlar” (“The Innocent Ones”). His film achievement prompted many years of genuine exhibitions in historical and crime dramas before he displayed his dynamic acting skills in comedy.
In 1963, he rejuvenated Tourist Ömer. A comedic and relatable portrayal of a regular Turkish Turkish gentleman, Tourist Ömer was a raving success that featured in eight films, a famous run that reached a science fiction end in 1974 with “Ömer the Tourist in Star Trek.”
Outside of his in excess of 200 film and TV appearances, Alışık wanted to paint, sing Turkish classical music, and write poetry. He bid goodbye to amusement with his part in “Yengeç Sepeti” (“Crab Basket”), his 1994 cinematic swan song for which the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival awarded him Best Actor. Today, his legacy lives on in acting studios established in Istanbul and Ankara, both named in his honor.
Happy birthday, Sadri Alışık! Much obliged to you for making way for the eventual fate of Turkish performing arts.
