Film and theater actress. She was
born on Ocak 26th, 1940,
Ankara. Her full name is Ayten Gökçer Kaçmaz. He is the wife of he
former General Director of the State Theatre, Cüneyt Gökçer who is also film
and theater actor and director like Ayten Gökçer. Her talent wass discovered by
her mother and thanks to her mother, Gökçer started to study ballet in Ankara
State Conservatory on 1952. Thanks to her mother again, she entered the Ankara
State Theatre’s Children's Department (1957). She states that she had a great
excitement while she was on the stage for the first time to perform in Mümtaz
Taşkın’s “Oyuncakçı Dede”. Following this, she portrayed the nurse character in
Eleneor H. Porter's “Pollyanna”.
Passing the exams of the State
Theatre, she was tenured as an actress in State Theaters in 1958. Her debut was
Reşat Nuri Güntekin’s play “Bu Gece Başka
Gece” in the State Theater. Besides, her performance as Danceuse Pandora, which was among the
first performances, was admired. Undoubtedly, this success resulted from her
ballet education. She stuck in the mind of the audience through her
performances as Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady”, Aldonza in “Don Quixote”, Yelena Andrayevna
in “Uncle Vanya”, Hürmüz in “Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz” and Maria Callas in “Master
Class”.
Gökçer’s debut in cinema was “Taçsız
Kral” (T.N. Uncrowned King) with Metin Oktay, the legendary football player of
Galatasaray football team and Scorer King in 1965. Then, she played in “İçli Kız
Funda”, “501 Nolu Hücre”. However, she opted for the theatre rather than the
cinema. She was admired with her performance as Hürmüz in the musical named
“Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz.”
She was selected for the “Best
Actress Award” for her performance in the plays: “Kaktüs Çiçeği”(T.N. Cactus
Flower) (1966) and “My Fair Lady” by
the Art Enthusiasts Association. She also took the stage for these plays: “Bu Gece Başka Gece”, Su Kızı, Hafta Başı, Aşk Acısı, Klinik Bir Vaka, Hortlaklar, Bernarda Alba’nın Evi, Woyzeck, Don Juan, Öp Beni Kate (T.N.
Kiss Me Kate), Andora, On İkinci Gece
(T.N. The Twelfth Night), Vanya Dayı (T.N.
Uncle Vanya), Kaktüs Çiçeği, IV. Henri (T.N.
Henry the 4th), Cadı Kazanı, Lysistrata,
Mançalı Don Kişot, Hastalık Hastası (T.N. A Valetudinarian), Tarla Kuşuydu Juliet, Bağdat Hatun, Gecikenler,
Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz, Kim Korkar Hain Kurttan? In 1987, she was awarded with the title of
State Artist.
In the 1980s, she got to the top
with the television series of “Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz.” When she was in her mid-forties, she started
to play in another TV serial named “Önce Canan”, but the other leading actress
of the serial Sumru Yavrucuk was also admired with her performance. For this
reason, she left the series and the series continued without her. However, she
returned to her career in television with “Yılan Hikayesi” after many years. In
1999, she also staged a play named “the Ballerina”.
She was given the “The Best Actress
of the Year” by the Art Enthusiasts Association (1967 and 1971); “The Best
Artist of the Year” by the Association of Journalists (1975), “Outstanding
Service Award” by the Turkish Ministry of Culture (1966), and “Our Proud
Artists Award” in commemoration of the 75th year of the Turkish
Republic (1998). In 1962, she married Cüneyt Gökçer, who was the theater actor
and director just like her and the former General Director of the State
Theatres. The couple has a daughter named Aslı and a grandson named Efe.
