Ülkü Duru

Ülkü Duru was born on April 20, 1957 in Istanbul. The artist, whose real name is Ülkü Duru Gökseven, is known as one of the long-standing names of the Turkish theater and cinema world. Moviegoers remember him especially for his unforgettable performance in the movie *Eşkıya*, which was released in 1996, and the character "Nusret" he played in the TV series *Aliye*, which was broadcast in the 2000s.

Ülkü Duru, who started her artistic life at the age of five at the Municipal Conservatory Ballet Department, later graduated from Notre Dame de Sion French High School. In the same period, he completed the theater department of the conservatory and took his first steps into performing arts. He started his professional career in 1971 with his work in children's theater at the State Theatre.

Over the years, he has taken on various roles in both theater and cinema. In 1998, he made a wide impact among the audience with the harsh teacher character he played in the play *Miss Margarida Method*. An incident that occurred during this game received wide coverage in the media.

Ülkü Duru's first big break in the field of television came with the series *Kaygısızlar*, in which she appeared between 1994 and 1996. He was remembered with his role as "Terbiye Kaygısız" in the series. The actress, who shared the leading role with Zuhal Olcay in the movie *Good Years London* directed by Berkun Oya, won the "best actress" award at the Strasbourg International Independent Film Festival with this production.

At the same time, he took part in French in Sabahattin Kudret Aksal's play *Bay Never*, which was staged as part of the "Turkish Season" in France.

The artist's wide repertoire in the field of theater includes important plays. He took part in productions such as *Blue Bird*, *Deli Dumrul*, *Ghosts Sonata*, *Limon* and *Lysistrata*. In 2021, he appeared as a guest actor in the movie *Have You Ever Seen a Firefly?*.

In her private life, Ülkü Duru, who married actress İştar Gökseven in 1993, is also the sister of writer Orhan Duru. The artist, who ran Café Nisvan with his close friend Derya Alabora for a while, later opened Baykuş Cafe Bar and entered the chain of gyms with his five partners.

Productions in which he took part

He took part in 30 productions in total; 12 of the most well-known are listed.

• Ruhun Duymaz (2023) — Ayla
• The Perfect Couple (2010)
• Aliye (2004) — Nusret
• Platonic (2025) — Hidayet
• Anonymous Lovers (2025)
• Carefree (1994) — Terbiye Kaygısız
• Samanyolu (1989) — Didar
• Sumud (2026)
• Tails (2004) — Melahat
• February (2012) — Yıldız Çankaya
• Class (2008)
• The Game of My Destiny (2021) — Nedret

Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.