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Ali Şen

Ali Şen

Actor · died at 70

Profile

Age at death70
Birth dateDecember 26, 1918
BirthplaceAdana
DiedDecember 15, 1989
Place of deathIstanbul
ProfessionActor

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Ali Şen — Biography

Ali Şen was an actor who appeared in a great many Yeşilçam films in supporting roles, playing a character who was at times grumpy and ruthless, at times fatherly and likeable, and most often a villain or a money-grubbing man. He was the father of actor Şener Şen, and appeared in more than 290 films.

Before cinema he earned his living as a carpenter in Adana; after moving to Istanbul he worked as a foreman in a factory while carrying on with carpentry. He first met the stage at the Adana Halkevi, played with the touring Sadi Tek Theatre from 1944 to 1946, and in the early 1950s joined Vahi Öz's group at the Ses Theatre in Istanbul. His first screen role was in Turgut Demirağ's Ahretten Gelen Adam (1954). In the 1960s he became memorable for the village headman in Yılanların Öcü and Hacı Fettah in Vurun Kahpeye.

In the 1970s and 1980s he was a constant face in comedy-led productions: Süt Kardeşler, Sakar Şakir, Canikom, Supermen, Banker Bilo, Zübük, Yedi Bela Hüsnü, Tokatçı, Erkekçe and Gırgır Hafiye are among them, and he also acted in Kemal Sunal films such as Keriz and Kılıbık. He died in Istanbul on 15 December 1989 of a cerebral hemorrhage and, after funeral prayers at Teşvikiye Mosque, was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

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Their work through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Zübük, with Sabri Ağa of Alucan, is a good place to see Ali Şen as the village boss inside Aziz Nesin's satire. Yedi Bela Hüsnü and Tokatçı, both with Kemal Sunal, are warm, noisy comedies circling their lead, and Şen finds his place in the supporting cast. The taste of old-style Yeşilçam comedy is in these three films.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

In Natuk Baytan's Tokatçı, İki Cambaz, Yedi Bela Hüsnü and Sakar Şakir, Ali Şen's share is, in my view, always the same: the money-minded or hard man set against the hero. These are formula comedies, and the formula pins the supporting player to a function. Şen's performance tries to draw some flavour out of that function, but the script hardly ever asks him anything new.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

Hasan Ağa, Sabri Ağa, Hacı Şen, Bekir Efendi: Ali Şen's characters are names of local power. Yeşilçam comedy sets its ordinary hero against this self-serving notability, and Şen is often the opposing figure. Zübük is the example in which the type reaches into politics.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes on this person's screen work, written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader comments are below.

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