Turkish theater mourns the loss of its greatest actor and teacher

Cuneyt Gokcer, one of Turkey's most distinguished and prolific stage actors, died on Wednesday in Ankara. He was 89. Over a career that spanned over half a century, Gökcer brought to life such major characters of the world theater as Oedipus, Hamlet and King Lear, and also headed the Turkish State Theaters, Ankara State Conservatory, Turkish State Opera and Ballet, and Bilkent University's Theater Department.. Among Gokcer's notable stage performances were "Antigone," "Julius Caesar," "Twelfth Night," "Faust" and " Fiddler on the Roof." His prolific acting career also included roles in films. President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay and other top officials, political leaders and thespians expressed grief at Gokcer's death, saying that Turkish theater has lost its greatest actor and teacher. Gökcer was born in Malatya in 1920 and graduated in 1942 from the Ankara State Conservatory's Theater Deportment, where he studied under famous German theater actor and producer Carl Ebert. After working for many years as assistant director in several theater institutions in Germany, Austria, Britain and France, Gokcer was appointed head of the Turkish State Theaters in 1958, taking over from Muhsin Ertugrul, the founder of modern Turkish theater, and ran the institution for 23 years until retiring in 1983.