A pioneer of Turkish theater and a mentor to countless actors, Haldun Dormen devoted his life to the art of performance and the magic of the stage
Haldun Dormen, a pioneering actor, director, educator and playwright who helped shape modern Turkish theater and introduced Western-style musicals to Türkiye, died Tuesday at a hospital in Istanbul, where he was receiving treatment. He was 97.
Dormen was one of the most influential figures in Turkish theater, widely regarded as a leading representative of Western-style drama and musical theater in the country.
Born April 5, 1928, in the southern city of Mersin, Dormen was the son of Cypriot businessman Sait Ömer Bey and Nimet Rüştü Hanım, the daughter of an Istanbul pasha. He moved to Istanbul as a child and completed his secondary education at Robert College.
His interest in theater began at an early age. Dormen later traveled to the United States, earning a master’s degree at Yale University. After gaining experience in Hollywood and New York, he returned to Türkiye and made his professional stage debut at the invitation of legendary director Muhsin Ertuğrul in the play "Cinayet Var” ("There Is a Murder”).
In 1955, Dormen founded the Dormen Theater, a milestone in Turkish theater history. The company became known for establishing the "intimate theater” tradition and for nurturing a new generation of performers. Dormen helped launch the careers of actors including Metin Serezli, Nisa Serezli, Erol Günaydın and Füsun Erbulak, creating what became known as the "Dormen School” of theater.
Dormen staged "Sokak Kızı İrma” ("Irma la Douce") in 1961, a production widely recognized as Türkiye’s first Western-style musical. He later brought musical theater to broader audiences with productions such as "Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası” ("Shared Wonders Company"), "Şen Sazın Bülbülleri” ("Nightingales of the Merry Saz") and "Lüküs Hayat” ("Luxurious Life").
Dormen was awarded the title of "State Artist” in 1998 and received a Lifetime Honor Award at the 51st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in 2014.
He also shared his memories and reflections in books including "Sürç-ü Lisan Ettikse” ("If We Made a Slip of the Tongue") "Antrakt” ("Intermission") and "İkinci Perde” ("Second Act"). In an interview, Dormen emphasized perseverance in the performing arts, saying passion and determination were essential and that artists should never accept hopelessness.
He often recounted a formative experience from his years in the U.S., when a professor at Yale helped him overcome self-doubt caused by a childhood leg injury. The moment convinced him he could perform on stage despite his disability, a belief he carried throughout a career that spanned hundreds of productions.
Reflecting on the founding of Dormen Theater, he insisted it was never a personal venture. "It was our theater,” he said, emphasizing the collective spirit of the company. He toured extensively across Türkiye, recalling that the first tour of "Sokak Kızı İrma” (Irma, the Street Girl") in Gaziantep was met with overwhelming enthusiasm. "When I left the theater, they lifted my car into the air,” he said.
Dormen had recently been receiving treatment at a private hospital after contracting an infection. He died earlier Tuesday.
Some of Dormen’s most notable plays and musicals include "Papaz Kaçtı” ("The Priest Has Fled") (1955), "Kamp 17” ("Camp 17")(1956), "Zafer Madalyası” ("Victory Medal")(1958), "Cengiz Han’ın Bisikleti” ("Genghis Khan’s Bicycle") (1961), "Sokak Kızı İrma” (1961), "Şahane Züğürtler” ("Magnificent Paupers") (1963), "Paramparça” (1963), "Bulvar” (1964) ("Boulevard"), "Bit Yeniği” (1965), "Uyuyan Prens” ("The Sleeping Prince") (1965), "Oliver!” (1970), "Yaygara 70” (1970), "Hisseli Harikalar Kumpanyası” (1980), "Şen Sazın Bülbülleri” (1983), "Lüküs Hayat” (1985), "Kaç Baba Kaç” (1988), "Canlar Beni Bekler” ("My Souls Await Me") (1993), "Bir Kış Masalı” ("A Winter’s Tale") (1995), "Kantocu” ("The Cantatrice") (2005) and "Kibarlık Budalası” ("The Fool of Politeness") (2008).