Seher Şeniz

Seher Şeniz — Biography

Seher Şeniz, born Seher Başdaş, was an actress, belly dancer and photo model who made her name in cinema and on nightclub stages in the 1960s and 1970s. She is remembered as the first Turkish woman to have her photographs published in Playboy, and as a dancer she was counted, together with Tülay Karaca and Nesrin Topkapı, among the most sought-after in the country.

Her name first reached the public through beauty contests. In 1965 she was chosen Beach Beauty in a contest in which Seyyal Taner finished third, and when she came second at the 1966 Turkish beauty pageant she threw her runner-up sash at the jury, which cemented her notoriety. She entered film with Kelle Koltukta (1962) and acted in more than twenty films up to 1985, most of them adventure and erotic productions in the fashion of the day. Tehlikeli Adam (1965), in which she shared the lead with Yılmaz Güney, stands outside that line. Her looks kept her mostly in vamp roles; Tarkan Viking Kanı (1971) and Kader Yolcuları (1975) belong to this period as well. In France she performed at well-known Paris nightclubs, Moulin Rouge among them, and her Playboy photographs were published in that period. After returning to Turkey she turned to oriental dance and performed in Istanbul's well-known nightclubs, including Parizien.

Şeniz died by suicide in Istanbul on 14 May 1992. Columnists such as Mehmet Altan, Hasan Pulur and İlhan Selçuk dedicated pieces to her afterwards. Together with Mine Mutlu and Feri Cansel she is spoken of as the "ill-fated trio" of Turkish erotic cinema.