Bilge Zobu

Bilge Zobu — Biography

Bilge Zobu is a long-serving stage actor of the Istanbul City Theatres and a familiar supporting actor of Yeşilçam. He is remembered above all from Kemal Sunal's films, in authoritative, formal-mannered parts such as Zafer Bey in Kapıcılar Kralı. His full name is Mehmet Nuri Bilge Zobu; he is the nephew of the stage actor Vasfi Rıza Zobu and the uncle of the film actress Melike Zobu.

His stage career began in 1956 at the Cep Tiyatrosu in the play Bir Evlenme. After working at the Adana City Theatre he joined the Istanbul City Theatres in 1958; he retired from the institution in 2006 but kept performing as a guest actor. He was among the unchanged names in the cast of Lüküs Hayat, which began in the 1984-1985 season and ran without interruption for about a quarter of a century. Alongside the stage he worked in film and television and did voice work.

On the big screen he played Şakir in Ah Güzel İstanbul, a newspaper owner in Öyle Olsun, Gülşah's father in İbo ile Güllüşah, a building contractor in Namuslu and a chamber-of-industry president in Çıplak Vatandaş; Tosun Paşa, Baba Bizi Eversene and Hababam Sınıfı are also among his best-known titles. On television he played Fahri in Bizim Mahalle and appeared in series such as Çalıkuşu and Şaban Askerde. His last known feature was Beyaz Melek (2007), and he has some seventy-five credits. In July 2026 the press widely reported that the 93-year-old actor had been filmed in public after a long absence.