08.04.2025 14:22
Veteran artist Ahmet Levendoğlu passed away at the age of 80 due to health issues related to his age. A farewell ceremony was held for Levendoğlu, who was known for his roles as an actor, director, and writer, at the Atatürk Cultural Center. Oktay Kaynarca, who spoke at the ceremony, stated, "He was a teacher to all of us." Ahmet Levendoğlu's funeral was held after the ceremony, and he was laid to rest at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.
The esteemed figure of the theater and cinema world, Ahmet Levendoğlu, passed away at the age of 80. A farewell ceremony was held for Levendoğlu, who left a deep mark on the art world with his identities as an actor, director, and writer, at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) Theater Hall.
Many famous names from the art world, including Haluk Bilginer, Selçuk Yöntem, Zuhal Olcay, Oktay Kaynarca, Bennu Yıldırımlar, Reha Özcan, Erdal Kömürcü, and Yıldıray Şahinler, attended the ceremony held at the Atatürk Cultural Center.
During the ceremony, Zuhal Olcay experienced emotional moments and could not hold back her tears. Friends of Levendoğlu in the art world expressed their respect and love by talking about the master artist's contributions to Turkish theater and his human side during their speeches at the ceremony.
Oktay Kaynarca, who attended the funeral, said, "He was our teacher. He taught me for 5 years. We learned a lot; he was a very valuable man. He was a person we loved very much."
After the ceremony, Ahmet Levendoğlu's funeral was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.
ABOUT AHMET LEVENDOĞLU
Ahmet Levendoğlu was born in 1945 in Istanbul as the grandson of Agâh Sırrı Levend, one of the presidents of the Turkish Language Association, and the son of stage designer and director, teacher, and translator Tarık Levendoğlu.
Levendoğlu, who completed his high school education at Robert College and took his first step into theater with acting, made his professional theater debut in 1964 with the play "Cephede Piknik" at Gen-Ar Theater before graduating from school.
Levendoğlu completed his theater education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England in 1969 with a diploma of outstanding success and three awards, and he acted for a season at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, one of England's leading city theaters.
Levendoğlu worked as an actor at the Ankara State Theater from 1971 to 1976 and served as Deputy Director during the establishment period of the Istanbul State Theater, where he worked as an actor and director from 1978 to 1980.
In 1977, he guest-directed at the "Theater Club," where student productions were presented to the audience under the Royal Academy.
During his theater teaching career, he worked at the Ankara State Conservatory from 1971 to 2018, the Istanbul State Conservatory, where he served as the head of the Theater Department during its establishment, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bilsak Theater Workshop, İBB City Theaters, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul University State Conservatory, Academy Istanbul, Mimar Sinan University State Conservatory, Koç University, and Haliç University Conservatory Theater Department.
The Theater Studio he founded with Zuhal Olcay and Haluk Bilginer in 1990 closed its doors in 2015, on its twenty-fifth anniversary. He directed most of the plays in the group, for which he served as the artistic director from beginning to end, and took on translations, acting in four of them.
With the plays he translated and directed, he was a guest at Taner Barlas Mim Theater, Istanbul State Theater, and İBB City Theaters. The Living Drama Theater Series he initiated and directed presented theoretical works and plays from foreign and local authors to the theater audience.
Since 1980, Levendoğlu's theater writings have been published in numerous magazines and books, and he served as a member of the Repertoire Committee at İBB City Theaters, as well as being a member of the selection committee in various play competitions and participating in panels on theater topics.
Continuing his acting career on television after 1985, Levendoğlu appeared in seven series during this period and acted in two films. He played Mustafa Kemal in the American series "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" in the "Istanbul 1918" episode.
In all areas of theater, he has been awarded 22 awards, including four honorary awards, as a director, actor, play translator, artistic director, and "adapter."
Outside the theater, the award he received was the 79th Language Day Honor Award given by the Language Association for his contributions to our country and Turkish. The Theater Studio, for which he served as artistic director for twenty-five years, received 20 nominations and 53 awards during this time for its 17 plays.