06.07.2026 01:40
Zihni Göktay, an unforgettable name in Turkish theatre and cinema, passed away at the age of 80 after suddenly falling ill and being taken to hospital.
Heartbreaking news came from Zihni Göktay, an unforgettable name of Turkish theatre and cinema, to his fans.
TAKEN TO INTENSIVE CARE
Göktay, who suddenly fell ill in the evening hours, was urgently taken to the hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. The development was announced by Nedim Saban, a well-known figure in the theatre world. Saban, who closely follows Göktay's condition, said in a post on his social media account, "Let us not withhold our prayers for Master Zihni Göktay. We are waiting for good news from the Maltepe Hospital intensive care unit."
COULD NOT BE SAVED
Hours after this post, sad news came from the master actor. Mahir Polat, Deputy Secretary General of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), announced that the 80-year-old actor had passed away. Polat used the following statements in his statement on his social media account: "We have unfortunately lost our teacher Zihni Göktay, the century-old plane tree of Turkish theatre and the great representative of our traditional theatre. Everyone who knew him has witnessed how special a value our teacher Zihni is with his human warmth and love. Growing up from Eminönü Community House, our master, who became a living monument of IBB City Theatres for 53 years, was the most magnificent name of the improvisation tradition and the spirit of the kavuklu on our stages."
HAD MOVED TO A NURSING HOME
Zihni Göktay, who last year moved temporarily to a nursing home despite all the insistence of his children after his house in Feneryolu was scheduled for urban transformation, suffered an unfortunate accident in January, breaking his hip bone and undergoing surgery.
The 80-year-old master artist, who accepted the decision to stay in the nursing home with great maturity and said, "Human flesh is heavy. There is no house on top of a house. I am happy in the nursing home," was reported to be continuing his treatment at the hospital in Maltepe. The theatre world is waiting for hopeful news from the legendary Rıza of Lüküs Hayat.
WHO IS ZİHNİ GÖKTAY?
Zihni Göktay, born in Istanbul's Fatih district, completed his education at Pertevniyal High School. He took his first step into art life between 1960 and 1964 as an amateur with I.M.T.B. Youth Theatres and Eminönü Community House. He began his professional theatre career in 1964.
The master artist, who worked at the Ankara Meydan Stage between 1964 and 1973, joined the Istanbul City Theatres family in 1973. Göktay, who performed in many plays here for many years, won the audience's appreciation especially with his successful performances in comedy. Throughout his artistic life, he took roles in over 72 theatre plays.
In addition to theatre, Göktay also made significant contributions to radio, working as both a director and actor at the Istanbul Radio Radio Theatre Branch from 1978 to 1996. The master, who also worked as a voice-over artist in many films during the same period, preferred to voice only his own characters in the productions he acted in in later years.
In his stage career, Göktay took roles in important works of Turkish theatre such as Kanlı Nigar, Sarıpınar 1914, Pembe Konağın Gelinleri, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi, and Lüküs Hayat, drawing attention with his successful performances.
In cinema, he became widely known for his character Ruhi in the 1976 film Tosun Paşa, Deli Kaleci in Meraklı Köfteci, and Üçbuçuk Yusuf roles in Hababam Sınıfı: Merhaba and its sequels. In addition, he appeared in front of the camera in productions such as Döngel Karhanesi, Fahriye Abla, Atla Gel Şaban, and Çıngıraklı Top.
Zihni Göktay, who also appeared on television screens for many years, successfully portrayed different characters in many beloved series, primarily Bizimkiler, Kuruntu Ailesi, Koçum Benim, Cennet Mahallesi, Avrupa Yakası, and Üvey Baba.