Filiz Akın (born Suna Akın, 2 January 1943 – 21 March 2025) was a Turkish actress, writer and television presenter. Known as Yeşilçam Turkish cinema's "noble, modern, urban and elegant face", Filiz Akın had a large fan base in Turkey. She was official ambassador, due to her third husband Sönmez Köksal was Turkey's Ambassador to France.
Life and career
Early life and education
Filiz Akın was born on 2 January 1943 in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
.Filiz Akın’ın Ankara Life Dergisi Röportajı dijimecmua.com, Retrieved 17 January 2014 Her mother, Habibe Leman Şaşırmaz, was a tailor from Ankara, and her father, Bekir Sami Akın, was a judge from
Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar (, 'poppy, opium', ''kara'' 'black', ''hisar'' 'fortress') is a major city in western Turkey. It is the administrative centre of Afyonkarahisar Province and Afyonkarahisar District. Its population is 251,799 (2021). Afyon is in the ...
.Babam Beni Hiç Sevmedi Hürriyet, erişim 17 Ocak 2014 Her mother was of Albanian descent on her paternal side, while her father was of Circassian descent on his maternal side. She had a sister Günseli from her mother's second marriage.Modacı olmak bizim genlerimizde var Posta, Retrieved 17 January 2014 Her grandmother, Halime Hanım's father was a clerk of Atatürk, and her stepfather was Atatürk's executive assistant and would ask Halime Hanım's help in Atatürk's attire for state occasions. Filiz Akın lived in Beypazarı, where her father was working, until the age of three. Filiz Akın'dan Beypazarı nostaljisi
Hürriyet
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...
, Retrieved 17 January 2014 At the age of five, she started attending primary school. She finished her primary education at Sarar Elementary School in
Kızılay, Ankara
Kızılay is the city center of Ankara Province in the municipality and district of Çankaya District, Çankaya, Turkey.Kızılay'da tarih kokan okul 'Sarar' Sabah, Retrieved 24 January 2014 Her parents divorced when she was seven years old.
Filiz Akın continued her education at TED Ankara College Foundation Schools through boarding and scholarship. She received various awards at the school with her paintings and compositions.Türk sinemasının unutulmaz ismi 'Filiz Akın' kariyer.net, Retrieved 18 January 2014 She passed all the classes successfully, and was chosen as an ideal student by her teachers. Her best-known hidden talent at school was her very good imitation. Sabah, Retrieved 23 January 2014 In June 1960, she graduated from college.Filiz Akın'ı annesi anlatıyor (July/1963) michaelshow.com, Retrieved 20 January 2014 After finishing her studies, she started working at the Ankara branch of
American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines
American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines, New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the U.S. east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services, until it declared bankruptcy and was ...
.Carpe diem (Bugünü yaşa) Sabah, Retrieved 17 January 2014 Milliyet, Retrieved 17 January 2014 After working at the company for two years, she became the head of its marine branch. She learned English, French, and a little bit of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
.
Meanwhile, she attended
Ankara University
Ankara University () is a public university, public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the History of the Republic of Turkey, formation of the Turkish republ ...
, Faculty of Language, History and Geography for a semester and studied
archaeology
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
.
Rise to fame
With the insistence of her friend Oya San's mother, Akın participated at a competition organized by ''Artist'' magazine and became the winner in 1962. After she was told that she would receive the award only if she would play in the movie ''Akasyalar Açarken'', she refused to accept it. Journalists and filmmakers came from Istanbul to Ankara to convince her, but she still refused to accept the deal. But when Memduh Ün came to Ankara and insisted on it, she accepted to play in the film. She left the university and work and came to Istanbul with her mother. Trusting the executives of the magazine and Memduh Ün, who convinced her to take the role, helped Akın start her film career.
She signed the agreement and after shooting her first film ''Akasyalar Açarken'' opposite Göksel Arsoy in 1962, the producers prepared a program for her during the entire year.
Hülya Koçyiğit
Hülya Koçyiğit (born 12 December 1947) is a Turkish actress. A prominent female lead in the Turkish cinema, she received numerous awards at international film festivals, including the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. Altogether, she ha ...
and Fatma Girik, she left a mark on Turkish cinema and was accepted as one of the four influential actresses of her time.
In 1965, her son İlker from her first marriage to Türker İnanoğlu was born. During this period the family resided at
ÅžiÅŸli
ÅžiÅŸli () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 10 km2, and its population is 276,528 (2022). Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by BeÅŸiktaÅŸ ...
. In 1974, the couple divorced after 10 years of marriage.
1975–1982
After ending her cinema career, she played in Istanbul Bank's commercials and in 1977 she presented the music program ''Podyum Show'' on TRT. In 1979, she took a role in Haldun Dormen'in play ''Bir Ayrılık''.Filiz Akın tiyatrocu oldu Milliyet (23 August 1979, page 19), Retrieved 21 January 2014Kulis dedikoduları Hey Dergisi, Retrieved 18 January 2014
In 1979, she performed as a headliner at the İzmir International Fair.1979 İzmir Fuarı yesilcamsokak.com, Retrieved 18 January 2014
In September 1979 she was stabbed in the leg by an attacker while entering the İzmir Efes Hotel. The attacker who was captured immediately, said to the prosecutor that he was in love with Filiz Akın but after she refused his advances, he decided to stab her. He later changed his confession and said that he was asked by mafia boss Mehmet Nabi İnciler to perform this act. Filiz Akın survived the attack with a slight wound and at the same night appeared on stage.
1982–2002
For 11 years, Akın lived in Neuilly and Bougival in Paris, and then moved to the Turkish embassy in Paris for the next four years, making her stay in France 15 years.
In 1982, she married Bubi Rubinstein. They divorced in 1993 after 11 years of marriage.Filiz Akın neden boşandı? Milliyet (09.04.1993), Retrieved 19 January 2014
In 1989, she played in series "Geçmiş Bahar Mimozaları".
In May 1994, she married chief of the
National Intelligence Organization
loction 39°54'25.0"N 32°39'59.3"E
The National Intelligence Organization (), also known by its Turkish language, Turkish initials MIT or MÄ°T, or colloquially as the Organization (), is an intelligence agency of the Turkish government tasked ...
Sönmez Köksal in Ankara.Ankara'da Mutlu Son Milliyet (16 May 1994), Retrieved 18 January 2014 mit.gov.tr, Retrieved 19 January 2014
After marriage, the couple settled in Ankara. The witnesses to their marriage were President
Süleyman Demirel
Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously serv ...
and Speaker of the
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...
Hüsamettin Cindoruk
Ahmet Hüsamettin Cindoruk (born 8 June 1933) is a Turkish politician and the 17th Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey between 1991 and 1995. He was also the acting president of Turkey in 1993 and the leader of two political parties, notably o ...
.
Her husband, Sönmez Köksal, was appointed as ambassador to France in February 1998Filiz Akın resmen Paris sefiresi Hürriyet, Retrieved 19 Ocak 2014 and for four years they lived at the Turkish embassy in Paris. To promote Turkey and its culture in Paris, she organized a Turkish-Ottoman products exhibition in ''La Fayette'', and Lale Park and Turkish Painters Exhibition in ''Bagatelle''. These actions made Filiz Akın a cultural ambassador, who with her efforts influenced the French by Turkish culture.
In 1991, her father, Sami Akın, died in
Ä°zmir
Ä°zmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of Ä°zmir Province. In 2024, the city of Ä°zmir had ...
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
''.
In 2005, for the benefit of Turkey Breast Foundation and to support the "yellow bracelets against cancer," she launched a campaign, and more than 1 million bracelets were sold. In 2005, she supported the promotion of the "blue bracelet" campaign organized for the benefit of the Hacettepe University Hope House project, organized to raise awareness of cancer in the community. From 2007, she was a supporter of "Türkiye'de İşitmeyen Kalmasın", a project initiated by The Starkey Hearing Foundation's and Turkey EMÖV Foundation.
In 2006, the street where she lived until she was 3 years old, was named as "Filiz Akın Sokak" by the city council in Beypazarı. In 2008, she presented the program "''Filiz Akın'la Sohbetler''" on Kanal 1. In 2009, she presented "''Filiz Akın'la Hafta Sonu Sohbetleri''" on Habertürk TV.
In November 2013, she met her fans for her third book, ''Lezzete Merhabas signature day at the 32nd Tüyap Istanbul Book Fair. Filiz Akın was a member of the Board of Trustees of TED University.
Akın died at a hospital in Istanbul on 21 March 2025, at the age of 82. She was interred at Aşiyan Asri Cemetery.
Turkish Journalists' Association The Turkish Journalists' Association (, TGC) is an association for journalists in Turkey.
It was founded on 10 June 1946, shortly after the abolition of the Turkish Press Union (Türk Basın Birliği), membership of which had been required by law f ...
, Female Artist of the Year
* 2000 37th International Antalya Film Festival, Lifetime Honorary Award
* 2001 Golden Orange Culture and Art Foundation, Lifetime Honorary Award
* 2004 Contemporary Cinema Actors Association, Acting Award of 2004
* 2005 74th Ä°zmir International Fair, "Sinema Burada Festival"'s Lifetime Honorary Award,
* 2005 Magazine Journalists Association, 12th Golden Objective Awards, Honorary Award
* 2006 Isparta
Süleyman Demirel University
Süleyman Demirel University (SDU) () is a public List of universities in Turkey, university located in Isparta, Turkey. Established in 1992, the university, with around 70.000 students, is the second largest academic institution in Turkey. S ...
, honorary doctor degree
* 2008 45th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival,"Festival Order"
* 2009 16th International Adana Film Festival, Lifetime Honorary Award
* 2010 Yeşilçam Awards, Culture and Art Service Award
* 2010 21st Ankara International Film Festival, Aziz Nesin Labor Award
* 2010 Beykent University, Turkish Cinema Day of Love, Honorary Award
* 2011 6th International DadaÅŸ Film Festival, Honorary Award
* 2012 Magazine Journalists Association, 18th Golden Objective Awards, Honorary Award
* 2012 Datça Golden Almond Cinema and Culture Festival, Honorary Award
* 2013 4th Malatya International Film Festival, Honorary Award
* 2014 Turkish Thai Friendship Award
* 2014 Magazine Journalists' Association, 20th Golden Objective Awards, Lifetime Profession Honorary Award
* 2015 Red Tulip Film Festival, Lifetime Achievement Award
* 2015 15th Frankfurt Turkish Film Festival, Honorary Award
* 2015 1st Çanakkale Short Film Festival, Honorary Award
Books
* "''Güzelliklere Merhaba''", Altın Kitaplar Yayınevi, 1992
*
* "''Filiz Akın ile Güzellik, Zayıflama ve Genç Kalma Üzerine''" (2006)
* "''Lezzete Merhaba''" (2013)
Books about her
*
*
* Akın's portraits have appeared in '' Atıf Yılmaz'' 's "''Hayallerim, Aşkım ve Sinema''" (1990), Türker İnanoğlu's "''Bay Sinema''" (2004), and Agâh Özgüç's "''Türk Sineması’nın Kadınları''" (2008).