Gülriz Sururi

Gülriz Sururi — Biography

Gülriz Sururi was one of the Turkish stage's most versatile actresses, equally at home in drama, comedy and musical theatre. The private theatre she founded with her husband Engin Cezzar made her a leading figure in theatre management as well as on stage, and her name lives on in a theatre encouragement prize created from her bequest.

She first appeared on stage as a child at the Istanbul City Theatre's children's section and studied acting and singing at the Municipal Conservatory. She turned professional with the Muammer Karaca company in 1955, moved to the Dormen Theatre in 1960, and won the İlhan İskender best actress award in 1961 for Sokak Kızı İrma. In 1962 she opened the Gülriz Sururi-Engin Cezzar Theatre with Cezzar. Her roles in Teneke (1966) and Hint Kumaşı (1971) brought further best actress awards, and Zilha in Keşanlı Ali Destanı made her widely famous. Kaldırım Serçesi, built on Edith Piaf's life story, earned her three awards in the 1982-83 season. In the 1990s she hosted a television cooking programme, A La Luna; she became a State Artist in 1998 and took her farewell from the stage in 1999 with Söyleyeceklerim Var.

Later she directed, staged the musical Fosforlu Cevriye, which she adapted from Suat Derviş's novel, and wrote memoirs, stories, essays and a novel. In 2018 she launched the theatre prize that bears her name, and she died in Istanbul that same year.