Şenol Coşkun

Şenol Coşkun — Biography

Şenol Coşkun was one of the best-known child actors on Turkish television and in cinema in the 1990s; his name is still tied to his first and most important role, the troublemaking boy Cafer in Zıpçıktı, which is why audiences call him "Zıpçıktı Cafer". Despite his short life, he is remembered as the lead of a television film now regarded as a cult favourite.

Born in Istanbul, Coşkun was a devoted Galatasaray fan from a young age, and that passion made him a familiar face in the stands. It was through this that he met the director Ünal Küpeli, and in 1995 he made his acting debut in Küpeli's Zıpçıktı. The television film was an adaptation of the 1990 American film Problem Child and brought him wide recognition. He then worked in television series: in Eyvah Babam (1998) he played Haluk Bilginer's nephew from Adana, and he took roles in Eyvah Kızım Büyüdü and Süper Kurşunsuz (both 2000). He was often cast in supporting parts in series starring Haluk Bilginer. His last credit is the 2006 feature film Çılgın Dostlar.

Coşkun died in a car crash in Istanbul on 29 November 2006, about two and a half weeks after his 18th birthday.