Semra Özdamar

Semra Özdamar — Biography

Semra Özdamar is a film actress who had a short but memorable career in 1970s Yeşilçam and later turned to writing short stories. She is remembered above all for playing the literature teacher Semra Hoca in Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı, a role that made her one of the recognised female faces of the golden age of Turkish cinema.

She entered cinema in 1973 and appeared in many films over roughly five years. Her early work includes Anadolu Ekspresi, in which she played Zeynep, Erkeksen Kaçma, Deli Ferhat, Tütün Zamanı and Arkadaş (1974), directed by Yılmaz Güney. In 1975 Hababam Sınıfı Sınıfta Kaldı brought her wide recognition; that year she also appeared in films such as Yarınlar Bizim 2, Bir Gün Mutlaka and Kara Çarşaflı Gelin. For Kara Çarşaflı Gelin she won Best Actress at the 14th Altın Portakal Film Festival in 1977. Her last films of that period were Güneşli Bataklık (1977) and At Gözlüğü (1978).

After 1978 she left cinema to write short stories and lived for a time in Germany. She is the former wife of the documentary maker, director and academic Süha Arın. Her filmography also lists O'na Çirkin Kral Derlerdi from 1984.