Behzat Butak

Behzat Hâki Butak is a Turkish theater artist who was born in Bursa on 16 October 1889 and died in Istanbul on 26 October 1963. As one of the leading names of the theater of the Republican period, he was known by the nicknames "Büyük Behzad" and "Baba Behzad". Butak, who was one of the first members of Darülbedayi Osmanî (City Theatres), worked in acting, directing, management, decoration, tour organization and financial coordination there, and became known to the masses with the character of Bodos Ağa in the play "Kayseri Gülleri". In addition to his stage work, he also made his name in the world of cinema by taking part in 36 movies.

The artist's interest in theater dates back to his youth, when he watched the "Gavril Theater and Acrobat Company" that came to Mihaliç. After his father's death, he moved to Istanbul in 1906 and enrolled in Mercan High School, but he was expelled from school on the grounds that he brought Namık Kemal works and he turned to the Commerce School.

Thanks to his interest in painting and theater, he took painting lessons from Painter Muazzez and acting lessons from Vahram Papazyan. Butak, who entered the stage life by staging an amateur middle play in July 1908, appeared on stage in the role called "Kavuklu Arkası" and gained professional experience in the "Sahne-i Heves" troupe founded by Muazzez in the same year.

In 1909, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a group of four people, including Behzat, to Italy for electrical engineering training, but they could not receive training due to the factory strike; During this period, Butak had the opportunity to examine the theaters in Rome and Naples. After returning to Istanbul, he played the character of the Oracle in the play "Ramses" in the "Darüttemsili Osmanî" troupe and learned Tulûat techniques from Abdürrezzak Abdi Efendi.

The group, which was on a Black Sea tour in 1910, was attacked in Giresun, and Butak secretly escaped to Istanbul on a ship.

Butak, who voluntarily participated in the Balkan Wars, took short-term positions in various stage groups after the war and witnessed the moment of Mahmud Şevket Pasha's assassination. In 1914, upon the request of Sigmund Weinberg, he took part in the movie "Himmet Ağa'nın Marriage", and in the same year, he passed the Darülbedayi exams and became a part of the conservatory.

He fought in Çanakkale in World War I and was injured in his arm. After the armistice, he returned to Darülbedayi and gained great fame with his role as Bodos Ağa in "Kayseri Gülleri". He worked in platforms such as "New Stage" and "Turkish Theater" in 1920, and returned to Darülbedayi again in 1923.

Behzat Butak was also an old coin collector and in this respect, he is considered one of the important names in Turkish numismatic history.