Muhterem Nur

Muhterem Nur — Biography

Born Olga and later registered as Aysel Muhterem Kısa, Muhterem Nur came into the world on 31 December 1932 in Bitola, then part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. She lost her mother at birth, never knew her father, and was raised by an aunt; the family emigrated to Turkey while she was a small child, settling in Istanbul's Eyüp district in 1942, where she finished primary school and went to work in a textile factory at fourteen. Contacts she made around Beyoğlu's film circles opened the door to cinema: she began as an extra in the 1951 film Beni Mahvettiler and rose to stardom with the lead role in Üç Arkadaş in 1958, becoming one of the era's most beloved, tear-jerking screen faces. When roles grew scarce between 1965 and 1967 she worked briefly as a dancer and singer before returning to film in pictures such as Kezban, Aşkın Acıları, Aşkın Gözyaşları and Aşk Rüyası, later appearing in Son Akın in 1982. She married journalist and actor Işın Kaan in 1961, divorcing in 1963, and married singer Müslüm Gürses in 1986 after meeting him in 1982. A recipient of honorary awards from the Golden Boll and Golden Orange festivals, Muhterem Nur died in Istanbul on 20 March 2020.