Ani İpekkaya

Ani İpekkaya — Biography

Turkish actress of Armenian descent Ani İpekkaya was born in 1939 in Istanbul's Bakırköy district, graduated from the İstanbul Municipal Conservatory in 1961, and began her professional career the following year on stage with the Lale Oraloğlu theatre company. Joining the İstanbul Şehir Tiyatroları in 1964, she performed for decades alongside Tiyatro Boğaziçi in dozens of productions, including classics such as Cesaret Ana, Figaro'nun Düğünü, Tartuffe and Ahududu, and also directed several children's plays. Her long theatre career was recognized in 2000 with the Aşkıner Special Award at the 4th Afife Theatre Awards.

She began her film career in 1983 with Badi and Ve Recep ve Zehra ve Ayşe, later appearing in films directed by Halit Refiğ (Hanım) and Ömer Kavur (Karşılaşma), and reached wider audiences from the 2000s onward with Gitmek: My Marlon And Brando, İzmir Çetesi, Arkadaşım Max, Ulan İstanbul and Bana Masal Anlatma. Also a voice actress, she has never left the stage, and in 2026 gave an interview saying the younger generation would carry theatre into the future while meeting with readers at a public event.