Göksel Arsoy, one of the star names of Turkish cinema, passed away. Arsoy, who reached a wide fan base in his cinema career, which started in the late 1950s, especially with the films in which he shared the leading role with Belgin Doruk, became one of the iconic names of Yeşilçam with the nickname "Golden Child". Arsoy; In addition to his acting, he also left his mark on Turkish cinema as a producer and singer.
The artist's daughter Aşkım Arsoy said, "Old age... He was 90 years old. He was not bad for the last two years, but he actually had no health problems. He had a problem with his eyes. When he could not see, his movements decreased, and as his movements decreased, he became weaker. He seemed normal until two days ago. Yesterday, he seemed unresponsive. Today, he was sleeping in the morning. I spoke to him at 10.00. They came at 10.30 and noticed that he was not breathing.
Our only consolation is that he left without any aches, pains or suffering. He was weak lately. The biggest consolation for us is that he did not end up in hospital. "His body was strong, but he is 90 years old. The funeral will most likely be on Wednesday." he announced with his words.
Arsoy, who was born in Kayseri on March 15, 1936, studied at Istanbul University Faculty of Economics after graduating from Haydarpaşa High School.
The artist, who is the nephew of Yesari Asım Arsoy, one of the important composers of Turkish classical music, stepped into the cinema at the age of 22 with "Kara Günlerim" directed by Sırrı Gültekin. Then he starred in films such as Yaprak Dökümü and Kelepçe.
Arsoy's real breakthrough came with the 1959 movie "Samanyolu". Sharing the leading role with Belgin Doruk, the artist quickly became one of the most talked about male actors of Yeşilçam with the film. The films in which Doruk and Arsoy starred together were among the important examples of the period known as the star system in Yeşilçam.
Arsoy, who starred in adventure and espionage films as well as romantic melodramas in the 1960s, opened a new page in his career with the 1966 film "Golden Child". The artist, who is known as the "first Turkish James Bond" with the agent character he played in the movie, also starred in sequels such as Golden Child Beirut and Ortaşark Yaniyor.
Arsoy was not only the actor but also the producer of these films. The artist, who starred in more than a hundred films throughout his cinema career, moved away from cinema in 1968.
One of Arsoy's most prominent passions in his life was aviation. He brought this passion to the cinema in the movie "Şafak Bekçileri" directed by Halit Refiğ. Arsoy, who both produced and starred in the 1963 film, broke the sound barrier with a jet plane during the shooting.
After moving away from cinema in 1968, Arsoy turned to the stage and turned to Turkish classical music with the influence of his uncle Yesari Asım Arsoy. The artist shared the stage with important names of the period and donated the music archive he had accumulated over the years to TRT Istanbul Radio in 2023. The archive also contained notes of works by composers such as Yesari Asım Arsoy and Arif Sami Toker.
Arsoy took part in television and cinema projects again since the 1990s. The artist, who took part in television productions such as Mirasyediyas and Asla Unutma, last appeared in front of the camera in the 2006 movie "Unutulmayanlar" directed by Ayhan Sonyürek.
The artist also served as the president of the Cinema Actors Association between 1997 and 1999. During this period, he carried out studies on the insurance of artists.
Göksel Arsoy won many awards throughout her long artistic life. The artist, who received the Cinema Honorary Award at the 38th Istanbul Film Festival in 2019, was also deemed worthy of the Lifetime Honorary Award at the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. In 2024, he received the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Prize in the field of cinema.
Arsoy shared his cinema adventure and memories from his life with the readers in his autobiography titled "Golden Child", published in 2017.
Göksel Arsoy, who married Soley Arsoy in 1961, has two children named Aşkım and Gökhan. His son Gökhan Arsoy also acted like Göksel Arsoy.
Arsoy celebrated his 90th birthday with his family on March 15, 2026. Gökhan Arsoy shared his father's birthday photos with the note: "Happy birthday our dear father, many happy 90s."
