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Identify this Famous Turk... Click for enlargement! In Turkey - Türkiye'de Free updates for life! Jim and Peri's Commercial-free CD/Broadband Editions for Turkish Learning -- with triple ebook bonus! Learn Turkish with this Essential Suffixes Printed Book

Bypass Turkish Government Censorship Ask about our free Speed Trial account -- for in-country Türkiye Click the image to learn how to protect your Internet freedom for less than $8 a month! Gossipy Modern Age Turkish Who's Who B In Turkey - Türkiye'de Tüm akademik kitap fırsatları için tıklayın ! All the Turks we've grown to love (or hate!) from all walks of life... If you don't find the Turkish people you need here... click to let us know and we'll add them. Site visitors may navigate the Turkish Who's Who Index by clicking here. The Famous Person The person's occupation, vocation, activity, calling, career, job, metier, rank, preoccupancy, craft, profession, sport, trade, profession, work, organization, etc. Famous/infamous events in the life of B     Ali Bardakoğlu Man of one book? Quasi-governmental Religious Leader Served as Head of the Religious Affairs Department (2003-2005) Devlet Bahçeli Wolfman, before the fall... Right-wing Politician Click to see Devlet Bahçeli in the Newspaper Reader's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Update, June 2004...After the MHP Bahçeli-led national election debacle in the fall of 2002 (when the party was unable to reach the 10% minimum vote-count barrier), he resigned as party chairman and vowed never to return to politics again. And he got a lot of positive feedback from the public and from MHP party members for his 'manly' act. But, in the run up to the 2004 local elections, he resumed the chairmanship (over some quite vocal objections from many of the MHP rank and file -- who wanted to hold Bahçeli to his 'manly' words of 2002). Click to see how the Bahçeli-led MHP fared in the March 2004 local elections. Çetin Başaran Born 1938 Thanks to sinematurk.com Veteran Actor, in 74 films between 1958-2002. Movies Genres: Adventure, Murder Mystery, and 'Erotik' Films See Başaran's more revealing entry in the 'Turkish Movies, TV, etc Catalog' Bayhan Gürhan Downtrodden Popstar Turkish 'Popstar' contestant, also-ran -- in 2004 His most infamous quote... "My mother wanted to kill my older sister and me with rat poison." Bayhan's story sounds like a florid arabesque hard-luck song. Born of poor Turkish parents in Germany, his mother committed suicide when he was 5 -- and by the time he was 18, he was in prison for 'wrongful death'. Click to see Bayhan Gurhan in the Newspaper Reader's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Deniz Baykal An ordinary fellow... Politician -- CHP Party Chairman (2002-2005) Idiomatic Baykal dananın kuyruğu kopmak göz dikmek yanlış hesap Bağdat'tan döner Claims and Counterclaims as the cloud of suspicion grows Left click for image enlargement and legibility. In the news: 20-25 August 2005 -- Bülent Ersoy's embarrassing allegation... See the Hürriyet photo-article at middle left for the latest 'claims and counterclaims' -- and click the following link to learn the allegation's origin. Click to see Baykal in the Newspaper Reader's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Update June 2004...As the March 2004 local election results rolled in, Baykal pronounced himself a big 'symbolic' winner...Click here to see how the Baykal-led CHP actually fared in those local elections. Most common  'stage name': Beyaz Also used  'stage name': Beyazit Öztürk Goody Two-shoes? General Entertainer -- Radio and TV talkshow host, actor, singer Mother's lamb... Left click for image enlargement and legibility. 'Under the stars' -- a musical play -- Fuar Açıkhava Tiyatrosu İzmir, 20-21 May 2005, 9 PM Left click for image enlargement and legibility. Film and TV History Film - Nihavend Mucize 1997 (character name: Nejat) -- The main character Suzan (played by Türkan Şoray) returns to life after 25 years, answering the call of her grown son -- and the story begins... Film - Dansöz 2000 (character: un-named taxi chauffeur) TV - Sır Çocukları 2002 (character name: Beyaz) TV - Biz Size Aşık Olduk 2002 (character name: Cem) -- story of a rich young man in love with a poor young woman (played by Meltem Cumbul) TV - Karım ve Annem 2004 (character name: Levent) TV - O Şimdi Mahkum 2005 (character name: Beyaz) Beyaz -- Mr. Nice Guy or Goody-two-shoes? The USA's Jay Leno and Turkey's Beyaz have at least three things in common, besides gender. They've both had successful late night TV talk shows, they both sharpen their skills performing live stand-up comedy, and they both have 'Mr. Nice Guy' reputations in their private lives. Why...the 30-something Turkish heart-throb still lives with his Mama, even! (See left.) And the worst that the rumor-mill can grind out about the squeaky-clean eligible bachelor is that he's had more than his share of gorgeous gal-friends... Tsk, tsk. First there was the buxom model cum movie-star, Demet Şener -- who made a topless 'splash' in the much ballyhooed period comedy film, Kahpe Bizans (Double Crossing Byzantium) in 2001. Then, he was caught exchanging 'meaningful' looks and holding hands in public with Hande Ataizi (who at the time was playing TV's comely and comedic poltergeist on the popular sitcom, Ruhsar (the female ghost's name). But, in what may have been his first-ever unchivalrous act, he ended any chance of a long-term romance when (in response to a question from his studio audience) he laughed and asked rhetorically, "Do you think she's good enough for me?" The remark 'brought the house down', but the fair Hande was not amused... The early days Beyaz was born Beyazit Öztürk in Bolu, Northwestern Turkey on 12 March 1969. And he first showed promise as a student at the Eskişehir Anadolu University, Fine Arts Academy. There, he began attracting attention as a gifted sculptor -- when he had 5 one-man shows and participated in another, along with fellow artists. But he wasn't satisfied with the obvious 'professional' path that was open to him as an artist. So, almost in defiance of his speech impediment (he can't say the letter 'R' clearly), he decided on a radio career. And when he and a group of friends formed Genç Radyo (Young Peoples Radio) with Beyaz as the lead DJ, the enterprise took off. In no time at all, he caught the ear of an Istanbul Radio and TV talent-scout and before you could say boom-lakka-boom, he had jumped to Klas FM in the Big City -- where he was an immediate smash hit. After working out his contract term at Klas FM, he moved to Number One TV, and from there onto Radyo D, Best FM, Channel 6, and Channel D (where he became a Turkish household name as the game-show host of the 'Family Feud -- Turkish Edition')... Two sides of the Beyaz coin... Beyazıt Öztürk, aka Beyaz, is already (at age 36 [in 2005]) a Turkish show-biz icon -- and he's barely scratched the surface of his talent. But, we can't shake our gnawing uneasiness about the fella, despite the apparent effortlessness of his success. Foremostly in our minds, of course, is that he's a mother's son who has never quite grown up. (He's been quoted as saying that he wants nothing more at the end of a hard night's work than to return home to 'mum'.) Also, by his own admission, Beyaz is a pessimist -- a guy who is easily offended and upset. And, as proof of his claim that he abhors ambition (in himself and anyone else), he summarized his success story for reporter Bülent Aydın (interbilmedya.com) in the following offhanded way... "While I was studying at Eskişehir Anadolu University (at the Fine Arts Academy), I got offered a job at Klas FM (in Istanbul). It started well there, but despite a lot of fan support, I ended up being fired. My friends wanted me to fight the decision, but I didn't bother. Instead, I accepted a new offer from Ali Karacan -- to be on Number One TV. Fatih Altaylı noticed me there, and I soon moved to Kanal 6 TV. Then I got called to Kanal D TV, where I'm still quite happy. That's how my career has advanced. I've never had to ask anyone to 'Give me a chance'." When queried about his sensitivities, Beyaz says... "I get upset if someone approaches me on the street and calls out, 'Hey you, Beyaz the Big Shot!!' And, if I go to a press conference, where 30 reporters in a row ask friendly questions, but then one says, 'You're not as nice as you used to be,' I latch on to that and I get upset." About the continuous flow of lucrative movie offers he receives, he exposes himself when saying... "I liked acting in Nihavend Mucize (Miracle at Nihavend). And I had fun in the film, Dansöz (Female Dancer). I've also enjoyed the TV comedy series I've done. But, in spite of offers I keep getting for new films, I don't have confidence in my acting ability. I compare myself to the many good actors in my (comedy-film) genre -- like Okan Bayülgen, Mehmet Ali Erbil. They're much better than I am. I turn down parts out of fear that people would say, 'Beyaz is amateurish, the others are skilful actors.'" At Kanal D TV, Öztürk still sallies forth every Friday night as host of his name-sake 'Beyaz Show' -- a talk and variety entertainment program. But, when he compares himself to American talk-and-entertainment hosts (like Jay Leno, David Lettermen, or Oprah Winfrey), he says... "You don't need to mention our being inferior to them...we're even inferior to the chairs in their studio. For example, Jay Leno has an 800 person team. Its members are dispersed around North America and, from dawn to dusk, they do nothing but produce and submit 'jokes and witty remarks' to Jay's headquarters. At the headquarters, the complete batch of 'jokes and remarks' are first passed by an 8-member psychological evaluation team -- which produces a smaller 'filtered' batch. Then, the day before Jay needs new material for his next show, he selects it from the 'filtered' batch. As for the 'Beyaz Show', I only have God's mercy to help filter my 'jokes and witty remarks'. Ten minutes before on-air time, I ask myself, 'What can I do to make the audience laugh?' And if God is in a good mood, the show goes well." Beyaz bristles at the charge that he exploits beautiful women on his program, in order to boost ratings... "Sure, men like pretty women on the show -- but I don't go out of my way to invite them. I interview people like Zülfü Livaneli (a male entertainer and humanist of world repute) as often as I interview female fashion models and singers. And I don't approve of female singers who perform half-naked. I ask you, is there a demand from the public for that? Wouldn't it be better if those singers were on better terms with their art. When you look at some women's stage costumes these days, there's nothing much left to the imagination. If you saw less, wouldn't it be better?" So what's your verdict? Is Beyaz a goody two-shoes or just a nice guy? Mustafa Bumin Justice Bumin President of the Turkish Constitutional Court [still serving in 2005] Support from a surprising corner Left click for image enlargement and legibility. In the news: May 2005 -- Justice Bumin and TBMM President Bülent Arınç go 'toe to toe' over turban wearing students (in state universities). Yaşar Büyükanıt General Büyükanıt commemorates 'Victory Day' 2006 at Atatürk's Mausoleum, Anıtkabir Thanks to Turkish Daily News 31 August 2006 Chairman of the Turkish Joint Chiefs of Staff 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff -- assigned August 28, 2006. Succeeded General Hilmi Özkök Most likely successor İlker Başbuğ (now Commander of the Turkish Army) In the news: August 2006 -- Victory Day Speech warns of 2 internal threats: Relegion in Government and PKK Terrorism. Erol Büyükburç Turkish Elvis Presley then and now Left click for image enlargement. Turkish Rock, Pop, and Folk singer; TV advertisement presenter, frequent talk-show guest When he first came on the Turkish rock-music scene in the 1960's (continuing through the '70's and 80's) he was known as the Turkish Elvis Presley. Subsequently, he 'migrated' to Turkish pop-music and began to 'mellow'. And now, in the still active twilight of his career, he's released an album of Turkish folk songs -- and brought his German wife into his act. Never out of work during his long career, Büyükburç (whose obvious hairpiece doesn't fool anybody anymore) remains very popular among older audiences. Family-note, 2005: Your Webmasters' 5 year-old grandson, Can Büyükburç, is a distant cousin of Erol's.

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