Selim Naşit Özcan

Selim Naşit Özcan, one of the popular names of Turkish theater and cinema, opened his eyes to life in Istanbul on August 15, 1928. Özcan, who was born from the marriage of Komik-i Şehir Naşit Bey, one of the doyens of the art world, and Amelya Hanım, an actress of Greek origin, came from an artist family. His mother, Amelya Hanım's mother, Küçük Virjin, and father, Kemânî Yorgo Efendi, were also well-known names in their fields.

Selim Naşit's childhood was spent at the Millet Theater in Şehzadebaşı, swallowing the stage dust with his sister Adile Naşit. Although their family elders were not very welcoming at first, both brothers were full of love for art and took the first step into their artistic lives by sharing the same stage for the first time at the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Republic.

Selim Naşit, who started his professional artistic life in 1943, left the commerce high school and appeared on the stage with the operetta "Gül Fatma" in Muhlis Sabahattin's troupe. Then, he moved on to Muammer Karaca's operetta and worked with Karaca for 16 years. In 1961, together with his sister Adile Naşit and his brother-in-law Ziya Keskiner, they founded the Naşit Theater in Ankara, named after their father.

During this period, he also shared the stage with names such as Toto Karaca, Sururiler and Muzaffer Hepgürler at the Elhamra Istanbul Theater Stage. In 1966, he joined the Gönül Ülkü – Gazanfer Özcan Theater and reunited with his brother and uncle. In addition to his own theatre, he also performed in companies such as Ali Poyrazoğlu Theatre, Devekuşu Kabare and Karşı Theatre.

He took part in Akbank Children's Theater for 18 years, leaving half a century behind in his theater career and taking part in approximately 300 plays.

Known for his mastery on the stage, Selim Naşit won the hearts of the audience on the big screen and on the screen. The artist, who is widely known for his role as a newspaper boss in the TV series "Gülşen Abi", most recently appeared in the TV series "Aynalı Tahir". In the cinema, he received great acclaim with the movie "Everything Will Be Beautiful" directed by Ömer Vargı, which reached millions of viewers.

He was awarded the best supporting actor award by the Cinema Writers Association for his performance in this film. Özcan, who has made nearly 60 films in his cinema career, last won the Afife Theater Award for his role in the Theater Studio's play "Histeri". Selim Naşit, known as the "Father" of Turkish theatre, managed to create deep and unforgettable characters, even in small roles, throughout his 54-year artistic career.

Selim Naşit Özcan, who struggled with pancreatic cancer in the last years of his life, passed away on August 18, 2000, at the age of 72. The artist was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. Selim Naşit, who was married to Peyker Özcan, had two sons named Naşit and Arsel, who were also theater actors, and two grandchildren.