Tanju Korel

Tanju Korel — Biography

Born Mehmet Tanju Korel, he was a nephew of the singer Adnan Pekak (1937-2012); after Galatasaray High School he continued his education at the University of Grenoble. In 1966 he shared first place with fellow actor Murat Soydan in a competition organized by Perde magazine and began his career that same year with a role in the film Eşkiya; during the Yeşilçam era he appeared in over a hundred films, including Kendi Düşen Ağlamaz (1969), Dudaktan Silaha (1971) and Karaların Ali (1974), as well as in television series, and also directed documentaries for a company, including Bitlis (1990) and Kırşehir'in Dili (1991), and produced Kara Elmas (1990).

He married actress Hülya Darcan in 1974, and the couple had two daughters, Bergüzar Korel and Zeynep Busbee Korel. He died at 60 on 21 September 2005 of lung cancer at the American Hospital and was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. His daughter Zeynep wrote a book, Babamla Son 84 Gün, about his final days; his estate was divided by court ruling in 2020. In a 2025 interview, Darcan spoke about difficult periods during their marriage.