Zeliha Berksoy

Theatre and movie actress and director. She was born on the 27^th of March 1946. She is the daughter of the opera artist Semiha Berksoy. She spent her childhood in operas, theatre backstage, foreign trips and in circuits thanks to her mother. Her mother who was an extraordinary person was 35 years old when Zeliha was born. Zeliha was three and half years old when she watched “Decay of Gods” in State Opera of Vienna. She started her theatre career with small roles in State Theatre. She acted in Cadı Kazanı play in 1958 and entered Theatre Department of Ankara State Conservatory (1965). She went to Berlin for education abroad.

Berlin had an important place for Zeliha Berksoy’s acting career. She benefited from Berlin Ensemble as much as possible. She worked with the wife of Brecht, the theatre scenarist. Thus she received a theatre education and returned to Turkey. In 1970s Turkish theatres started to show political plays. There were also groups which showed dramatic plays such as Ankara Arts Theatre (AST), Dostlar Tiyatrosu, Halk Oyuncuları and Dormen theatre.

Zeliha Berksoy married Dr. Yıldırım Aktuna who was the chief of neurology department in Şişli Etfal Hospital in 1970. They had a child from this marriage who would be an economist later. In 1974 they separated.

Meanwhile she was chosen to the play titled Asiye Nasıl Kurtulur which was written and directed by Vasıf Öngören and would be shown in Ankara Birlik Tiyatrosu upon the will of Öngören. The role of her mother in the play was played by Semiha Berksoy. The play was a great success and staged for two years continuously. Zeliha Berksoy was twice selected as the most successful actress (1969, 1985). With this role she gave up returning to Berlin and continued her career in Dostlar Tiyatrosu. She became a guest actress in Istanbul Municipality Urban Theatre. She played in Kafkas Tebeşir Dairesi and Yedi Ölüm Günahı and Keşanlı Ali Destanı with Ferhan Şensoy. She worked as an academic member of theatre and opera in Bakırköy Municipal Theatre’s 1974-75 season.

Berksoy passed to university in 1980. She established Bakırköy Municipal Theatre which was the 3^rd most budgeted theatre of Turkey. She organized and established Melih Cevdet Anday Stage in Beşiktaş Akatlar. She served as a General Art Director during the establishment of Bakırköy Municipal Theatre. Besides she was in the executive board of Yunus Emre Theatre which was founded within Bakırköy Municipal Theatre. During five years she participated to presentations of selected repertoires. After a while she left here due to a disagreement. She took part in many plays in Dostlar Tiyatrosu with Genco Erkal. Within Brecht’s 100^th Birthday celebrations she played the role of Jeni in the play Yosma (A collage of Brecht’s plays) reorganized by Genco Erkal.

Zeliha Berksoy directed and played in numerous successful theatre plays and raised countless students in university. Besides she took part in two movie projects in 1989 on end. She played with Kadir İnanır in Film Bitti production of Yavuz Özkan and with Tarık Akan in a movie of İrfan Tözüm.

Zeliha Berksoy performed Brecht concerts starting from 1971 in Istanbul and Ankara. She received various awards with plays such as Lola Blau (1973), Taranta Babu’ya Mektuplar, Jokond ile Siyau (1977) and Kafkas Tebeşir Dairesi (1980). She is currently Arts Consultant of Beşiktaş Municipality Culture and Arts Foundation. She also played in the movie called Güz Sancısı shot in 2009. She is still Head of Department of Theatre in Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. 

Some of the plas Zeliha Berksoy took part are as following: Jokond ile Si-Ya-U, Yaşasın Savaş, Marlene, Nâzım’a Armağan, Yosma, Keşanlı Ali Destanı, Sofokles’in Antigone’si, Ben; Bertolt Brecht, Yaz, Kafkas Tebeşir Dairesi, Brecht Kabare, Asiye Nasıl Kurtulur and Kaktüs Çiçeği. Some plays she directed are as following: Jokond ile Si-Ya-U, Mutlu Yıllar, Mikadonun Çöpleri, Gözlerimi Kaparım Vazifemi Yaparım and Matmazel Julie.