Muhterem Nur debuted in cinema as a
background actress in the 1951 movie,
Yıldızlar Revüsü ("Revue of Stars"). She continued to play in movies as an extra, earning five times more than she received in the factory. She played as supporting actress in more than twenty movies before she got a lead role in the 1958 movie,
Üç Arkadaş, in which she portrayed a blind girl. In the film directed by Memduh Ün, which became very successful, she shared the lead role with
Fikret Hakan (born 1934). Thanks to her baby like face and naive acting artistry, she was rooted suddenly in the hearts of cinema fans, and climbed up the ladders very quickly. Despite rising up to main actress roles in a very short time and playing in many movies, Muhterem Nur had difficulties continuing in cinema due to change of the era in movie themes during the period between 1965 and 1967. From 1965 on, she vocationally performed dancing and, from 1967, took the stage as a singer in low-priced music halls. In 1967, she was jailed for ten days because of unpaid bills. She confessed that once, in 1972, she was so destitute, she was unable to even buy a
simit, Turkish bagel. Muhterem Nur returned to cinema and starred sparsely in movies until 2002. Muhterem Nur is considered the first real star of
Turkish cinema. She portrayed the ignored and discriminated-against woman, digressing from role of the
bourgeoisie woman. She was known as the Yeşilçam's most weepy actress, who at the same time drew tears and made spectators tear handkerchiefs. Even though it is not documented, she is one of the most important female figures of Turkish cinema due to the box office record of her films shot in the 1950s and 1960s. ==Works==