Zeynep Erkekli

Zeynep Efser Erkekli was born in 1964 in Istanbul. She graduated from the theatre department of the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory, and in 1987 from the theatre department of the State Conservatory at Mimar Sinan University. She underwent additional training in workshops led by Ellen Stewart, Malcolm Keith Kay, and Jean Gabriel Nortman, and also took part in creative workshops in Italy based on the plays of Dario Fo, focused on female roles. She worked at the Trabzon State Theatre, Levent Kırca Theatre, Dostlar Theatre, and Bursa State Theatre, and is now part of the Istanbul State Theatre company. Among the plays she has performed in are Molière's "The Miser" (2013), Bertolt Brecht's "The Good Person of Szechwan" (2012), "Bir Ruhun Hikâyesi: Ingmar Bergman" (2022), and the staged reading "Kahramanlar ve Soytarılar: Shakespeare'in Dünyası" (2022), based on the text by Talât Sait Halman. Since 2004 she has performed in the play "Çok Yaşa Komedi." Her film credits include "Hayal Kurma Oyunları" (2004), "Hara" (2022), and "Running Amok" (2013). In 1994 she won the "Commendable Actor" award from the Ankara Art Institution for her role in "Açık Aile." In 2001 she was nominated at the 6th Afife Theatre Awards for Best Supporting Actress, and that same year won Best Supporting Actress at the 25th Avni Dilligil Awards. For "Çok Yaşa Komedi" she was nominated at the 10th Sadri Alışık Actor Awards for Best Actress of the Year in Comedy and Musical, and at the Tiyatro Dergisi Awards (2005) for Actress of the Year. For her role in "The Miser" she won Best Supporting Actress at the 14th Direklerarası Audience Awards (2014). Besides acting, she teaches at the Dialog Anlatım İletişim communication school, and has also worked as assistant director to Arsen Gürzap on a production of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge." She is married to actor Özgür Erkekli, cousin of the well-known actor Altan Erkekli.