Stage and film
actor (B. 1903, Istanbul –D. February 13th, 1943, Istanbul). Neyyire
Neyir, whose real name was Neyyire Eyüp Ertuğrul, was among the first actresses
of Turkish cinema. She was the wife of Muhsin Ertuğrul, one of the pioneers of
Turkish cinema and theatre. She was one of the two Muslim Turkish actresses in
cinema. She graduated from Horhor Numune School and then Darülmuallimat
(teacher’s training school for girls) in 1921. She continued her education at
Amerikan Kız Koleji (T.N. American College for girls), and there, she performed
in the plays.
Neyyire Neyir began acting in cinema
with the movie “Ateşten Gömlek”
which was adapted from Halide Edip’s novel with the same name and directed by
Muhsin Ertuğrul, in 1923. She was the only person who applied to the newspaper
advertisement that sought an actress to play the character, Kezban. Thanks to
her acting in this film, she became one of the first actresses in Turkish
cinema along with Bedia Muvahhit (Bedia Muvahhit portrayed the role Ayşe in the
same film). He used the name Neyyire Neyir in the movie poster.
In 1923, she entered Darülbedayi (Istanbul Municipal Theatre), and using the name Neyyire
Neyir again, she professionally began the stage acting career with the play “Othello.” After the Turkish War of Independence
was won, she went to Izmir with the company named Millî Sahne, established by the actor Şadi Fikret. She returned to Istanbul
in 1924, and got on the stage of Ferah Theatre with the company named “Muhsin
Ertuğrul ve Arkadaşları”. She was among the creators of “Ferah Season” which
was on of the most productive periods of Turkish theatre. Neyyire Neyir, who
mostly focused her attention on theatre, got married to Muhsin Ertuğrul, a
famous man of cinema and theatre. This marriage was seen as an important
incident by the artists of the time. After the Russia trip with her husband,
she entered Darülbedayi again in 1928, and performed in more than one
hundred plays. Until the end of her life, she worked at Darüldebayi.
Neyyire Neyir, who was a hardworking
and character-wise actress, always showed a developing acting ability through
her stage acting career which lasted for twenty years. She made researches
related to theatre in Russia and France. She knew Russian, English, and French
languages. She could play the piano, and she had the ability to paint. She also
had a beautiful voice. She showed success in every type of theatre and many
roles. She died on the 13th of February, 1943, and was buried in the
Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, in Istanbul.
Neyyire Neyir was a successful
actress who prepared for her roles meticulously and performed unforgettable
roles on the stage of Darüldebayi. Some of the plays in which she performed are:
“Hortlaklar” (1927)
and “Peer Gynt” (1935)
by Ibsen, “Venedik Taciri”
(1930) and “Macbeth” (1936)
by Shakespeare, “Bir Ölü Evi”
(1932) by Nâzım Hikmet, “Cürüm
ve Ceza” (Suç ve Ceza, 1934) by Dostoyevski, “Ayaktakımı Arasında” (1936) by
Gorki, “Anna Karenina” (1939) by Tolstoy, “Bulunmaz Uşak” (1940)
by J. M. Barrie, “Müthiş
Aile” (1941) by Jean Cocteau, and “Nuh” (1942) by Andre Obey.
“Kız Kulesinde Bir Facia” (1923) and “Ankara Postası” (1929), which
were directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul, are the films in which she had a role.