Nihat İleri

Nihat İleri — Biography

Nihat İleri is a stage actor who has spent most of his career with the State Theatres and who has also worked in film and television. On stage he is best known for his adaptation of Küçük Prens, which he performed first in 2000 and again in 2012 at Bi Tiyatro, the company he co-founded. He continues to serve at the Istanbul State Theatre.

After finishing the theatre department of the Ankara State Conservatory he joined the Ankara State Theatre in 1977, and two years later became one of the first actors of the newly founded Istanbul State Theatre. There he acted in classics such as Amadeus, Julius Caesar, Martı, Danton'un Ölümü and Macbeth. From 1993 he worked in Germany at the Theater an der Ruhr; sources give the end of that period as 1998 or 2000. In the 2006-2007 season he founded Bi Tiyatro with Laçin Ceylan.

On screen he first drew attention with Fahriye Abla (1984), then appeared in series including Yaprak Dökümü, Bir İstanbul Masalı and Binbir Gece. His films include Maruf, Büyü, Cenneti Beklerken, Yüreğine Sor, Ada: Zombilerin Düğünü, Behzat Ç. Seni Kalbime Gömdüm and Rüzgarın Hatıraları. He has also done voice work.