Mualla Sürer

Mualla Sürer, born way back on August 14, 1902, in what was then the Ottoman Empire—Nevşehir, to be exact—kinda feels like one of those forgotten legends from old Turkish cinema. Like, she wasn't just hanging around on set; she was actually doing double duty as both actress and costume designer. Not a combo you see every day now, huh? People mostly remember her for her work on “Yedi Kocalı Hürmüz” from 1971 (which, by the way, is a wild ride of a film), “Kırık Plak” in 1959, and “Bir Şoförün Hayatı” back in 1954. Her career spanned decades, which, honestly, is no small feat, especially for the time she lived in—early 20th-century Turkey wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for women trying to break into film. She made a real mark, though, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, putting together costumes that probably made the characters pop way more than folks give her credit for. She passed away in Istanbul on October 21, 1976. Still, her work’s got this sort of cult status among Turkish cinema buffs. It’s wild to think how many actors come and go, but it’s the ones like Sürer, who quietly do their thing and stick around in the back of people’s minds, that end up making the whole scene more interesting. Her legacy? Still kind of underrated, if we’re being honest.