Nilgün Belgün

Nilgün Belgün — Biography

Nilgün Belgün is a Turkish actress born in Istanbul on March 18, 1953. She spent her childhood on Büyükada and, after attending Şişli High School, graduated from the voice and theater department of the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory, where she took diction lessons from figures such as Yıldız Kenter and Melih Cevdet Anday.

She began her professional stage career in 1973 at the Devekuşu Cabaret Theater and later worked with companies including the Ali Poyrazoğlu, Levent Kırca and Dormen theaters as well as Tiyatro İstanbul. She became widely known in 1990 through her "Gülpembe" character on the television program Bir Başka Gece, earning Milliyet's Best TV Comedy Actress award in 1993. Her screen work includes the film Bana Şans Dile (2001) and series such as Akasya Durağı, Benim Annem Bir Melek and Papatyam, while her stage performance in Tepetaklak brought her multiple comedy awards.

Beyond acting, she has written books including İçimdeki Kadın, which she adapted into the one-woman play Aşk ve Komedi, staged from 2012 onward. She has also taken part in public awareness campaigns concerning women's health and Parkinson's disease.