Selda Alkor

Selda Alkor — Biography

Born in Konya on 3 January 1943 to a Georgian mother and a Circassian father who, as a police officer, had killed a well-known tough during the occupation era of Istanbul, Selda Alkor lost her father at twelve and her mother at fifteen. After school in Manisa she entered cinema in 1965 by winning first place in a beauty contest run by Ses magazine, quickly becoming a versatile figure who took leading roles in close to a hundred films while also painting and singing; she stepped back from the screen for a time after marrying national basketball player Cihat İlkbaşaran in 1972.

Her career reached a new height with the role of Sümbül Karadağ in the 2002 series Asmalı Konak, which earned her the nickname Hanım Ağa and Best Actress at the 30th Golden Butterfly Awards. The same year she received an honorary award at the Antalya Golden Orange festival, followed by further honors at the Adana Altın Koza festival in 2008 and the Sadri Alışık Awards in 2012; she also led professional bodies such as TÜRKSAV and SODER, and received another honorary award in 2021.

Alkor continued acting in later years, including the series Hicran Sokağı (2007) and Parmaklıklar Ardında, and in 2025 reunited with her former Asmalı Konak co-stars for a nostalgic gathering; she turned 83 in early 2026.