Wissenswertes

Was a former basketball player.

Has stated that he never cared much for his earlier roles where he played young and carefree playboys (dubbed "Ferit films" by some of his fans, since his character was named Ferit in literally a dozen films in that period) because he always wanted to do solid films with a conscience.

Akan attended Yildiz Technical University to study mechanical engineering, graduated later from the College of Journalist.

He won an Honourable Mention at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Pehlivan.

In 2002, he published his first book Anne Kafamda Bit Var, a biography of his life and his time in prison.

He acted in a total of 110 films, and won numerous awards from various festivals including Cannes and Berlin.

Before he started his acting career, he worked as a lifeguard at beaches and at a boat renting place in Bakirköy.

He made his film debut in 1970 at the age of 21 in Vefasiz, and adopted the stage name "Tarik Akan".

He also directed several productions such as documentaries and serials for television.

In 2005, he became the chairman of the education-aimed "Nesin Foundation", succeeding Ali Nesin, the son of the founder Aziz Nesin. In his later years, he was served as chairman of the "Nazim Hikmet Cultural and Arts Foundation".

Schooled in Erzurum, he completed the elementary education in Kayseri.

His son Baris Zeki began an acting career in 2009 with the film Deli Deli Olma, in which he played with his father and portrayed the young actor Tarik Akan.

In 1991, he took over the elementary school in Bakirköy, in which he was educated, and transferred it to his own Özel Tas Ilkögretim Okulu.

He was jailed for two-and-half months with cell confinement following the 1980 Turkish coup d'état. A right-wing politics daily defamed him with a false news in the headline for a speech he allegedly addressed in Germany in early 1981, leading to a long court case demanding for 12 years imprisonment.

On 18 September 2016, he was interred at Zuhuratbaba Cemetery in Bakirköy following a memorial service held in Harbiye Muhsin Ertugrul Stage and the religious funeral service at Tesvikiye Mosque. The funeral was attended by thousands of people, his castmates, former President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer and the leader of the main opposition party Kemal Kiliçdaroglu.