Avni Dilligil was born on January 1, 1908 in Haifa. Born in the last periods of the Ottoman Empire, the artist was the son of Rahmi and Selvinaz Dilligil and his family was from Trabzon. He completed his primary education at Edirne High School and then at Istanbul High School. Shortly after graduating from high school, he started his professional theater career by taking the stage in the play "Hamlet" by the City Theaters in 1927.
Dilligil, who worked for many years at the City Theaters, left this organization after a disagreement with Muhsin Ertuğrul and took part in many different companies; Voice Operetta, City Theater (Izmir), Youth Theatre, Çığır Sahne, Public Theater and Avni Dilligil Theater named after him were among them. He also had the opportunity to work in stages such as Raşit Rıza Theatre, Turkish Theater and Bizim Theatre.
Dilligil, who is also very active in cinema, appeared in more than 350 films; He appeared on the cinema screen with the 1941 film "Kahveci Güzeli" and in 1950 he stepped into directing by directing the production "For My Son". The artist, who wrote four scripts, became the mentor of many well-known actors such as Nejat Uygur, Metin Serezli, Ayşen Gruda, Halit Akçatepe, Hulusi Kentmen, and was remembered with his saying "There is no democracy in theatre".
Dilligil, who married Nezahat Tanyeri in 1933, had two children: Erhan Dilligil and Belkis Dilligil. Çiçek Dilligil was born from Erhan's marriage; Çiçek also continued the family tradition and turned to the acting profession. At the same time, former general director of the State Theaters, Rahmi Dilligil, was his brother.
Avni Dilligil, the older brother of Turhan Dilligil and Aliye Rona, passed away on May 21, 1971, as a result of a heart attack in the theater backstage in Kadıköy, and was buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery. "Avni Dilligil Theater Awards", which have been known by their name since 1978, honor those who have made valuable contributions to the world of theater every year.
Dilligil, who started his cinema career in 1933 with the movie "Cici Berber", then took part in productions such as "Milyon Avcıları" (1934), "Aysel Bataklı Damın Kızı" (1935), "Güneşe Doğru" (1937), "Doğan Çavuş" and "Aynaroz Kadısı" (both 1938). In the 1940s, he expanded his filmography with films such as "Yılmaz Ali", "Şehvet Kurbanı" and "Kahveci Güzeli" in 1941; He continued with works such as "Sürtük" in 1942 and "Köroğlu" in 1945.
In 1950, he demonstrated his directorial experience with the film "For My Son" and continued his acting with productions such as "Mahallenin Namusu" (1953), "White Hell" and "Son's Pain" (both 1954). Since 1955, he met the audience on cinema screens with films such as "Karacaoğlan", "Yaşlı Gözler", "Orphan Puppies".
In the 1960s, "Benli Emine", "Death is Following Us", "The Lamp of the Green Mansion", "Remember My Love", "Little Lady", "Lovely Bandit", "Return to Love", "When the Hour of Love Comes", "My Son", "Bus Passengers", "Woman Coming from the Street", "Wild Cat", "Either That or Either" He consolidated his cinema career with "I" and a series of "Little Lady" themed films (1962‑1963).
In 1964-1965, he completed his last period films with productions such as "Pickpocket Girl", "Istanbul Sidewalks", "Istikbal", "Love and Revenge", "From Lips to Heart", "Gönül Kuşu", "Always That Song", "My Love and Gururum".
Productions in which he took part
He took part in a total of 65 productions; 12 of the most well-known are listed.
- Politics Square (1994) — Self(archive footage)
- Death is After Us (1960) — Nazif
- Heart Hunter (1962)
- Pasha's Daughter (1967)
- Little Lady (1961) — Feridun
- Neighborhood Honor (1953) — Mahmut Efendi
- Mercy (1970) — Avni
- Slut (1942)
- Prophet Joseph (1965)
- Ayşecik and Ömercik (1969)
- Pickpocket Girl (1964) — Lawyer Selim Soydan
- Wire Mesh (1969) — Mestan Uncle
Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.
