Bumin Gaffar Çıtanak or with his stage name Fikret Hakan (born 23 April 1934, Balıkesir – died 11 July 2017, Istanbul) is a Turkish actor. In 1950, he took his first step on the stage at the 'Ses Theater' with the play 'Three Pigeons'. In 1952, he made his way to the cinema with the movie 'Köprüaltı Çocukları'. He acted in 163 films and TV series, and worked as a screenwriter, director and producer in the 1970s. He gained a great reputation with 'Three Friends' and 'Keşanlı Ali Epic'.

Fikret Hakan in Hollywood

When the famous director Peter Collinson came to Turkey for the movie Mercenaries (UK movie, 1970), starring Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson, the opportunity to step into Hollywood arose for Turkish film actors. Because Collinson was going to include Turkish actors in the movie he wanted to shoot in Turkey. When there was great interest in the film's actor acceptance interviews, an actor selection contest was held at the Şan Theater. Fikret Hakan, Salih Güney, Erol Keskin, Aytekin Akkaya and a few Turkish actors who were successful in this competition were included in the cast of the film.

Fikret Hakan gained an important place in the movie with his role as Colonel Ahmet Elçi. With his successful gestures and harmonious lip movements despite knowing little English, he won the admiration of director Peter Collinson. Fikret Hakan, who gave a comfortable performance as if he was working in Hollywood for many years, received offers for various productions after the movie. In the same period, after the movie was banned in Turkey for an unknown reason, the bond between Turkish actors and Hollywood officials weakened. In particular, the fact that some Turkish actors did not know any English prevented them from showing up outside the country despite their acting skills.

Despite the attractive offers, Fikret Hakan chose to stay in Turkey at the beginning of the 70s, when Turkish Cinema was in its most productive era. Salih Güney, who was the assistant officer of Colonel Ahmet Elçi, played by Fikret Hakan in the film, could not speak in this film and could not receive offers for other productions due to his illiteracy. Aytekin Akkaya, who played one of Tony Curtis's bouncers in the movie, won the producers' appreciation for his performance and hard work behind the camera, although he did not appear in the movie enough. He was offered to act in Hollywood movies in exchange for learning English. Akkaya, like other artists, stayed in Turkey as a result of not being able to spare time for English courses.

Fikret Hakan received the title of State Artist given by the Ministry of Culture in 1998 and taught at Istanbul Kultur University as a lecturer.

He received the title of honorary doctorate from Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Department of Comparative Literature on 13.11.2009. The actor died at the age of 11 on July 2017, 83 at Kartal Lütfi Kırdar Training and Research Hospital, where he had been treated for lung cancer for a while.

Theatrical plays

Bully: Nikos Kazantzakis
Durand Boulevard (Armand Salcrou) – Ankara Art Theater – 1967
We Will Always Be Children: Breakthrough Stage

Filmografi

As a director

Coming from Exile – 1971
Heaven's Gate – 1973
Biggest Boss – 1975
Hammal – 1976
Exile – 1976

As a producer

Exile – 1976

As a screenwriter

Coming from Exile – 1971
Heaven's Gate – 1973
Biggest Boss – 1975
Exile – 1976

Films in which he acted as an actor

Tolerate, Nevermind, Never Mind (At Memo Festival), 1953
Köprüaltı Children, 1953
Cingöz Recai, 1954
Our Ways Parting, 1954
Karacaoglan, 1955
Unsmiling Faces, 1955
White Handkerchief, 1955
Battal Gazi Is Coming ….Cafer, 1955
Death Creek, 1956
Daisy, 1956
The Blind Well, 1957
Legion Return, 1957
Ak Gold, 1957
The Bride's Desire….Doctor, 1957
Whore Lead, 1957
The Woman with the Camellia, 1957
Three Friends….Doctor, 1958
Last Bliss, 1958
Fear of God, 1958
A Human Matter (God Bless), 1958
Troubled River, 1958
Ephesus of the Nine Mountains, 1958
Emerald ….Selim,1959
Camp Der Verdammten, 1961
Remember Darling, 1961
Devil's Sword, 1961
Guns Talk, 1961
Love is Different in Istanbul, 1961
Love Race, 1962
The Most Beautiful of Fortune, 1962
Street Girl, 1962
Vengeance of the Snakes ….Black Holiday, 1962
Love Started There, 1962
Sunk Fish, 1962
To Die Alone, 1962
Almond Candy, 1963
Tell Me About My Mother, 1963
Let's Meet in Hell (Comp Der Verdammten), 1963
Mule Claw, 1963
Kill Me, 1963
Poison Detection, 1963
No Time for Love, 1963
Those Who Awaken in the Dark, 1964
The Unforgiving Woman, 1964
Shorty, 1964
The Epic of Ali from Keşan …. Ali of Keşan, 1964
Atçalı Kel Mehmet, 1964
Avanta Kemal, 1964
Saturday Your Sunday Mine, 1965
Title, 1965
Fearless, 1965
King of the Mountains (Köroğlu), 1965
Black Eyes, 1965
Stay Away Darling, 1965
The Endless Road, 1965
Before the Ice Thaw, 1965
Yesterday's Child, 1965
Murat's Folk Song, 1965
The Seventeenth Passenger, 1965
Blood of the Earth, 1966
My Father Wasn't a Murderer, 1966
Fighting became a must, 1966
Male And Female, 1966
I Die At Every Dawn, 1966
Hizir Efe, 1966
The Fearless Man, 1966
Noah's Ark, 1966
Killing Field, 1966
They Died in Their Hands, 1967
The Gray Wolves Are Coming, 1967
Revenge of Giants, 1967
Eceline Thirsty, 1967
Vendetta, 1967
Crazy Desire, 1967
Sheikh Ahmed, 1968
Devil's Cage, 1968
Caucasian Eagle, 1968
Black Battal's Pain, 1968
Bride from Egypt, 1969
Target: Harry, 1969
Love of Giants, 1969
They Paid Their Sin With Their Blood, 1969
You Can't Win 'Em All (Mercenaries)…. Colonel Ahmet Elçi, 1970
Battal Gazi Epic …. Hammer, 1971
Şehzade Sinbad on Mount Kaf, 1971
The profiteers ….Count, 1971
Trittico, 1971
My Rose, Honey, Flower, 1971
Longing, 1971
The Killing City, 1971
Immortals, 1971
New York Girl, 1971
Bouncer Squad, 1971
Cemo ….Memo, 1972
Elif and Seydo, 1972
The Great Robbery, 1973
Pir Sultan Abdal …. Pir Sultan Abdal, 1973
Uncle, 1974
Four Scoundrels, 1974
Kismet, 1974
Bridge, 1975
Biggest Boss, 1975
Pink Pearl Kaftan (TV) ….Muhsin Çelebi,1975
Insanely, 1976
Gülşah Little Mother ….Fikret,1976
Two Friends, 1976
Exile, 1976
Tiger Claw, 1976
Hora is Coming Hora, 1976
Let me be a victim, 1976
Keepers of the Home, 1977
fire, 1977
Railway ….Hasan,1979
The Story of a Day ….Mustafa,1980
Love Me Like This, 1980
Follow up, 1981
A Drop of Fire, 1981
Who knows (Kibariye), 1981
Teacher Kemal, 1981
Not Forgotten….Figo,1981
The Sweat of the Soil ….Hasan,1981
My friend, 1982
I Love You, 1982
Haram, 1983
Little Network (TV), 1983
Sapling, 1984
Bitter Bread, 1984
Alcohol, 1985
Defense, 1986
Love Has No Law, 1986
Before Sunrise, 1986
Blood on the Wall (TV), 1986
They Died with Love, 1987
She Was An Angel, 1987
Fate, 1987
Diary of Pain ….Fikret Usta, 1988
Judgment, 1988
Black Love, 1989
Night of the Dreads, 1989
Silent Storm, 1989
Gulbeyaz, 1989
I want, 1989
Eskici And His Sons, 1990
Lady's Farm (TV), 1990
Love Bundle (Director Dad) (TV), 1992
Liar (TV), 1993
Guerrilla ….Cevat Fehmi, 1994
As People Live (TV), 1994
Don't Go Too ….Antoine, 1995
Bread, 1996
Lover in Memories (TV), 1996
Right to Life, 1998
Everything For My Son (TV), 1998
Father (TV), 1999
Askin Travels in the Mountains (TV), 1999
If You Remember My Emerald Eyes, 2000
My Aslan Son, 2000
New Life (TV), 2001
Will You Marry Me (TV) ….Eşref Bey, 2001
Hard Goal (TV),2002
Money=Dollars,2000
Shih Senem, (2003)
Bullet Wound (TV), 2003
The Makeshift Bride, 2005
Lost Years (2006) Süleyman Cesen
Unforgettable 2009-2010
Hope, 2008
United Hearts 2014

plates

In the 1960s and 1970s, when Yeşilçam was at its most productive, dozens of film actors, from Sadri Alışık to Fatma Girik, from Yılmaz Köksal to Hülya Koçyiğit, stopped their music records. Fikret Hakan also participated in this record making frenzy and he filled several 45 records. These plaques are:

1972 – Cemo / What They Say Is True – Radyofon Plak 001
1974 – Dostun Gülü / Loberde – Yavuz Plaque 1558
1975 – Howl of Love / Pain – Discoture 5199

Books

Written by themselves

“Hamal's Servants” (story), Telos Publishing, Istanbul, 1997.
“Imbikli Wall” (poem), Serander Publications, Trabzon, 2002.
“Black Light (Collective Poems 1978-2008)”, Serander Publications, Trabzon, 2008.
“Joe Brico is Innocent” (story), Umuttepe Publications, Istanbul, 2009.
“Night Harbor (Wharf of Forbidden Unhappiness)” (novel), İnkılâp Bookstore, Istanbul, 2010.
“Turkish Cinema History”, (memoir, cinema), İnkılâp Bookstore, Istanbul, 2010.

written about

“Fikret Hakan – Ageless Yeşilçamlı” (review), Nigar Pösteki, Umuttepe Publications, Istanbul, 2009.
“I Have Never Forgotten”, Feyzan Ersinan Top, Dünya Publishing, Istanbul, 2006 (Fikret Hakan is discussed together with 5 other famous Turkish cinema artists in this review)

Receives awards

1965 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Best Actor Award, Kesanlı Ali Epic
1968 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Best Actor Award, Death Field
Izmir International Fair 1st Film Festival, 1965, Keşanlı Ali Epic, Best Actor
1971 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Best Actor, Longing
30th Antalya Film Festival, 1993, Liar (TV), Best Supporting Actor
34th Antalya Film Festival, 1997, Liar (TV), Lifetime Honor Award
2009- He received the title of honorary doctorate from Eskişehir Osmangazi University.
2012-Accessible Life Foundation, Lifetime Profession and Honor Award

Who is Fikret Hakan?