This is a list of famous people from

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. *

Rita Abatzi Rita Abatzi (also spelled Abadzi; el, Ρίτα Αμπατζή) (1914 – 17 June 1969) was a Greek ''rebetiko'' musician who began her career in the first part of the 1930s. She was born in Smyrna (now Izmir), in the Aidin Vilayet of the Ottoman ...

(1914–1969) – Greek rebetiko singer *

Kayahan Açar Kayahan Açar (29 March 1949 – 3 April 2015) was a Turkish pop music singer-songwriter. He was an accomplished composer, consistently ranking among the best-selling Turkish musicians of all time. Kayahan composed all of his own material and ...

(1949–2015), singer, composer and lyricist *

Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish pop music singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and "''Minik Serçe''" ("Little Spa ...

– (born 1954), Turkish

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

, musician,

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

; born in

Sarayköy Sarayköy is a town and district of Denizli Province in Turkey, 20 km west of the city of Denizli, on a plain between mountains and watered by Büyük Menderes River. The area is around 470 km², and the population (2010) is 29,854 of wh ...

, Denizli and raised in central İzmir * Ekrem Akurgal – (1911–2002), Turkish archaeologist born in Tulkarem, explorer of Old Smyrna, Pitane,

Phocaea Phocaea or Phokaia (Ancient Greek: Φώκαια, ''Phókaia''; modern-day Foça in Turkey) was an ancient Ionian Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the colony of Massalia (modern-day Marseille, in ...

and

Erythrai Erythrae or Erythrai ( el, Ἐρυθραί) later Litri, was one of the twelve Ionian cities of Asia Minor, situated 22 km north-east of the port of Cyssus (modern name: Çeşme), on a small peninsula stretching into the Bay of Erythrae ...

* Furkan Aldemir – Turkish basketball player * Bahadır Alkım (1915–1981), archaeologist * George K. Anderson –

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

general * Necati Ateş – Turkish soccer player *

Alexander Balas Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος Βάλας, Alexandros Balas), was the ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 150/Summer 152 – August 145 BC. Picked from obscurity and supported by the neighboring Roman ...

– ruler of the Greek

Seleucid kingdom The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the M ...

in 150–146 BC *

Édouard Balladur Édouard Balladur (; born 2 May 1929) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, c ...

– (born 1929), former French Prime Minister * Halil Berktay – (born 1947), Turkish historian *

Haluk Bilginer Nihat Haluk Bilginer (; born 5 June 1954) is a Turkish actor. In addition to his acting career in Turkey, he has also worked in the United Kingdom and remains best known for his role as Mehmet Osman in the television soap opera '' EastEnders'' ...

(born 1954), theater and film actor *

Can Bonomo Can Bonomo (Hebrew: ג'אן בונומו, born 16 May 1987) is a Turkish-Jewish singer who represented Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Early life Bonomo was born in İzmir, Turkey to a Sephardic Jewish family. At ...

– Turkish singer of Sephardic

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

descent; represented Turkey in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song " Running Scared" by the duo Ell & Nikki. It was the first time Azerb ...

* Mahir Çağrı – Turkish

Internet phenomenon An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

* Olcay Çakır – Turkish basketball player * Demetrios Capetanakis (1912–1944) – Greek poet, essayist and critic *

Anton Christoforidis Anton Christoforidis (; 26 May 1917 – 19 October 1985) was a Greek professional light heavyweight boxer. He won the NBA Light Heavyweight Championship in 1941, making him the first Greek to become a world boxing champion. Early life Chris ...

(1918–1985) – Greek light heavyweight boxer *

Salvator Cicurel Salvator Cicurel (سليلفاتور شيكوريل3; March 1893 – 15 February 1975) was an Egyptian Olympic foil and epee fencer, and later the president of Cairo's Sephardi Jewish Community Council from 1946 until 1957. Personal life C ...

(1893–1975) – Egyptian Olympic fencer and Jewish community leader *

Hüsamettin Cindoruk Ahmet Hüsamettin Cindoruk (born 8 June 1933) is a Turkish politician and the 17th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 1991 and 1995. He was also the acting president of Turkey in 1993 and the leader of two political parties, notably o ...

– (born 1933), Turkish politician, former party leader and Speaker of the Parliament *

Mehmet Culum Mehmet Culum (born 1948) is a contemporary Turkish novelist who was born in Çeşme, a town in western Turkey. He studied political sciences at the University of Ankara. Before starting an antique shop in his hometown, Culum worked as an IT c ...

– Turkish novelist born in

Çeşme Çeşme () is a coastal town and the administrative centre of the district of the same name in Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on the tip of the peninsula that also carries the same name and that extends inland to form a whole with the ...

who worked in İzmir as an IT specialist * Necati Cumalı – Turkish novelist born in

Florina Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the F ...

, raised in nearby Urla *

Meltem Cumbul Meltem Cumbul (born 5 November 1969) is a Turkish actress and TV personality. Biography Meltem Cumbul's career encompasses 16 feature films including Berlinale Golden Bear winner '' Head-On'' movie, 6 TV serials including ''Yılan Hikayesi ...

– (born 1969), actress *

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian language, Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian language, Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother godde ...

(1888–1978), Greek actress * Anestis Delias (1912–1941), Greek bouzouki player, rebetiko composer and singer * Michel Elefteriades – Greek-Lebanese composer, producer, politician, and Emperor of Nowheristan * Stéphan Elmas (1862–1937)- Armenian composer and pianist * Nehir Erdoğan – (born 1980), actress * Gül Gölge – (born 1981), TV show host, model and actress *

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

– Greek epic poet *

Attilâ İlhan Attilâ İlhan (15 June 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist and reviewer. Early life and education Attilâ İlhan was born in Menemen in İzmir Province, Turkey on 15 June 1925. He received most of his ...

– Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, journalist, and reviewer *

İsmet İnönü Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...

– (1884–1973), second President of Turkey *

Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the dev ...

(2nd–3rd century) – theologian, bishop of Lugdunum * Sir Alec Issigonis – (1906–1988), Greek-British car designer whose most famous work is the

Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...

* Manolis Kalomiris (1883–1962) – Greek composer * Selâhattin Kantar – Turkish archaeologist who pioneered

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

excavations *

Semih Kaplanoğlu Semih Kaplanoğlu (born 4 April 1963) is a Turkish screenwriter, film director and producer. Life and career In 1984, Kaplanoğlu moved to Istanbul and worked for a couple of years as a copywriter for advertising companies like Güzel Sanatlar ...

(born 1963), film director, screenwriter and filmproducer * Semih Kaya – Turkish soccer player * Erkut Kızılırmak (born 1969), author * Vedat Kokona – Albanian writer and translator * Adamantios Korais (1748–1833) – Greek humanist scholar * Çağla Kubat – (born 1978), Turkish Model (person), fashion model * Alex Manoogian – Armenian-American industrialist; philanthropist; founder and CEO of MASCO Corporation * Darío Moreno – Turkish people, Turkish-Jewish singer who made a career in France * James Justinian Morier – (1780–1849), British diplomat, traveler and writer * Magali Noël – (1931–2015), French actress and singer * Metin Oktay – Turkish soccer player * Aristotle Onassis (1906–1975) – Greek tycoon * Alpay Özalan – Turkish soccer player * Hüsnü Özyeğin (born 1944), banker * Onur Özsu – Turkish

, musician * Leonidas Paraskevopoulos (1860–1936) – Greek military man and politician * Ambrosios Pleianthidis, (1872–1922), metropolitan bishop * Polycarp – overseer of a Christian congregation * Giacomo Pylarini – gave the first smallpox inoculation outside of Turkey * Ahmed Adnan Saygun – Turkish composer, musician and writer * Giorgos Seferis (1900–1971) – Greek poet; Nobel Prize, Nobel laureate; born in nearby Urla * Quintus Smyrnaeus – Greek epic poet * Yavuz Tatış – (born 1947), private collector * Yıldız Tilbe – (born 1966), musician and pop singer * Tryfon Tzanetis (1918–2001) – Greek footballer and coach * Bilge Umar – Turkish jurist and writer * Latife Uşşaki (1898–1976), wife of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk * Birsel Vardarlı – Turkish basketball player * Sabbatai Zevi – (1626–1676), self-proclaimed messiah and founder of the community of Sabbateans

References

{{reflist People from İzmir, Lists of people by city in Turkey, Izmir