Gönül Ülkü Özcan

Gönül Ülkü Özcan — Biography

Gönül Ülkü Özcan was a well-known actress of Turkish theatre and television comedy; she came out of the children's section of the Istanbul City Theatres, performed in the theatre she founded with her husband Gazanfer Özcan, and reached a wide audience through series such as Kuruntu Ailesi and Avrupa Yakası. She died in Istanbul on 2 November 2016 at the age of 87.

In 1947, with her family's support, she entered the City Theatres' children's section and worked there until she married Gazanfer Özcan in 1962, taking roles in plays such as Bir Kavuk Devrildi, Fettan Kız, Fazilet Eczanesi, Domino and Baş Sayfa. After the marriage the couple founded the Gönül Ülkü - Gazanfer Özcan Theatre; she worked on her own stage until 2002 and returned to the stage in 2003. In cinema she appeared in a small number of films, including Sabahsız Geceler, Satılmış Hayatlar and Vur Patlasın Çal Oynasın, and she also worked as a voice artist.

Her best-known screen work was Kuruntu Ailesi, in which she appeared with her husband and his on-screen family; after it ended on 29 December 1990 the show continued as Hüsnü Bey Amca and Bizim Kuruntu Ailesi, remaining on air for 13 years in total. She later acted in productions such as Ben Olsaydım, Burnumu Keser misiniz?, Avrupa Yakası (as Hamiyet Hala), Yalan Dünya and Yaz'ın Öyküsü. On her death the press remembered her as one of the last representatives of the Darülbedayi tradition; she was buried in the family plot at Karacaahmet Cemetery.