Vasfi Rıza Zobu

Vasfi Rıza Zobu was born on November 25, 1902 in the Beyazıt district of Istanbul. Zobu, the child of a military family, was born to his father, Miralay Hasan Rıza Bey, and his mother, Safver Hanım. The artist, who started his education at Beyazıt Junior High School, left Kuleli Military High School and went to the German Trade School.

However, with the start of World War I, the school was closed and Zobu managed to enter the Sanayi-i Nefise Mektebi Ali by taking the exam.

Enrolling in Darülbedayi Theater School in 1917, Zobu stepped into theatre. After his first appearance on stage in 1923, he worked as both an actor and director at City Theaters for many years. In 1948, he attracted attention with his leading role in the play "Paydos" written by Cevat Fehmi Başkut. In 1972, he appeared on stage for the last time with the play "Before the Ice Thaws", also written by Başkut. He retired in 1975 due to age limit and left both the general artistic directorship and the theater.

Vasfi Rıza Zobu has written many translations and adaptations in the field of theater. He became known especially for his roles in comedy and vaudeville. He entered the world of cinema in 1921 with short series of films. The artist, who took part in films directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul, also wrote articles about theater in newspapers and magazines.

He was awarded the Atatürk Art Gift in 1981 and received the title of State Artist of the Republic of Türkiye in 1987. He passed away in Istanbul on November 23, 1992. He was also the uncle of Bilge Zobu, who was also an actor.

Productions in which he took part

He took part in a total of 18 productions; 12 of the most well-known are listed.

• Million Hunters (1934)
• Aynaroz Kadı (1938) — Şemi Molla
• Shirt of Fire (1923)
• Highland Eagle (1945) — Hacivat Hasan
• If My Wife Cheats on Me (1933)
• Roasted Roasted Horhor (1923)
• Tosun Pasha (1939) — Bikletçi Tekin
• Ankara Post (1928)
• Word One God One (1933)
• A Kavuk Overturned (1939)
• Black Sheep (1946) — Ferhat
• Edi and Büdü Theater Player (1952) — Büdü

Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.