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Today's Zaman, Turkey
March 2 2014
'I came to die in Turkey, my homeland,' says Armenian actor
Kevork Malikyan is a humble and sincere actor. He has an extraordinary
story which started in Diyarbakır and later continued in İstanbul and
London.
Malikyan is now in Turkey, his homeland. Since his return to Turkey
two years ago, he has been involved in three major film projects. His
filmography is fairly extensive and rich and includes movies in which
he worked with famous directors such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley
Scott and with popular actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Christian
Bale.
Malikyan's story is an unusual one. An archbishop decided to open a
religious seminary in Ã`sküdar, Ä°stanbul, with the intention of taking
in the poor children of Armenian parents from various parts of Turkey
and raising them as priests. Malikyan was questioned by a priest who
wanted to determine whether or not he was a good candidate for the
priesthood. His father told him to go to the seminary because he
couldn't afford to give him an education due to the financial
problems. He was just 10. Though he was worried because he had no
friends in Ä°stanbul and he had to leave his parents behind, Malikyan
traveled to the city to become a priest.
He was sent to the Karagözyan Orphanage in Å?iÅ?li where he spent two
years before attending the religious seminary in Ã`sküdar. In the
seminary, there was a small stage where the students acted in Turkish
and Armenian. When he was 16, an Anglican priest was invited to the
school to teach them English. He was an Oxford graduate who wrote
history books. He was fond of acting and had prepared `Richard III' by
Shakespeare in English wherein Malikyan played Richard. The priest
must have liked Malikyan's acting because he told the headmaster of
the school that Malikyan should become an actor rather than a priest.
The patriarch asked Malikyan his opinion on this matter but Malikyan
was unsure because of financial concerns. Father Harding, a British
priest, found him a scholarship in Britain.
His parents did not object to his decision to go to the UK. The last
time Malikyan saw his father was in 1961. After graduating, he did not
have time to visit his parents. Malikyan left Ä°stanbul on a ship and
first arrived in Marseilles before heading to London by train. He had
no knowledge of English. Malikyan stayed with a British family that
Father Harding knew. He continued to write letters to his father, who
told him that they would meet some day. After completing his studies
at a drama school, he bought a house to bring his parents over.
However, his father died in 1974; Malikyan was unable to even attend
his funeral. His brothers later moved to Germany and 10 years later,
his mother died. Malikyan took care of her funeral arrangements.
In London, auditions were arranged in three different schools. The
director at Rose Bruford College made Malikyan promise that he would
attend Rosa Bruford College and not audition aat the two other
schools. He agreed but his English was poor. He took English lessons
three days a week, all paid for by the school, which was affiliated
with the University of Kent. Malikyan later received diplomas for
acting and teaching from the school.
Malikyan taught diction courses for a while but later started acting.
He was lucky because he found a job just two days after graduating.
His first play was `Macbeth.' Then he took parts in TV series and
acted in plays where he generally played a foreigner (Italian or
French). But he was unable to obtain lead roles in British plays. Some
15 to 20 years later, he told his manager that he wanted to get parts
in theater and wanted to stay away from TV series. Malikyan signed a
contract with the Royal Shakespeare Company while acting in series by
TV stations, like the BBC. He played different roles and then moved on
to the Royal National Theater. Malikyan also played in Shakespeare's
theater, the Globe, for three years where he was in renowned plays
such as `King Lear,' `Henry IV' and `Front Line.'
Malikyan met Spielberg and Scott via his manager. His manager had
called and told him that Spielberg had wanted to see him. Spielberg
told Malikyan that even though he did some excellent work, he wanted
to know more about his work, which was known in the US. Malikyan
referred to `Midnight Express,' where he put an American in jail, a
performance which Spielberg remembered. Malikyan later waited for a
few months; during this period, he even rejected offers by the BBC.
Spielberg later called him up and Malikyan got a part in `Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade.' Malikyan also worked with Scott recently.
His manager sent him a script of the movie and Malikyan made a tape in
Ä°stanbul and sent it back. He got the part and is now in the movie
`Exodus.'
Malikyan decided to move back to his home country because he felt
lonely. In addition, his parents' graves are in Turkey. Two of his
brothers died in Germany in different cities while his sister is in
France. He thought at least one of them should be in Turkey. His wife
moved to Cyprus and his daughter to Tunisia. This left him alone in
London. He initially thought he would be buried in a British cemetery
when he died but eventually decided to move to Turkey because he
wanted to die here.
Five years ago, he noticed there was going to be a festival at the
Globe with the participation of actors from 38 different countries who
would play 38 Shakespeare plays. He asked the creative director of the
theater if they were inviting Turkey and Armenia. The director asked
Malikyan if there was a theater in these countries. Malikyan
remembered Haluk Bilginer; they had met on the set of a play, `Half
Moon Street,' in the late 1970s. Malikyan later watched their play in
Turkey and Haluk Bilginer asked him to be part of the play. Malikyan
decided to play a brief role and as a result, he moved to Turkey.
His manager told him one day that Reha Erdem wanted to see him., He
was familiar with American, British, German, Russian and Italian
movies while in London but not with Turkish cinema. He had only heard
about Yılmaz Güney and Fatih Akın. Malikyan met with Erdem, saw his
work and after a lengthy discussion, agreed to be involved in Erdem's
projects. He was also a part of `Yozgat Blues' by Mahmut Fazıl as
well.Malikyan experienced some minor hardships while adapting to
Turkey. He spent many years in Britain and speaks English fluently. He
is able to speak Kurdish due to his childhood in Diyarbakır. In the
beginning, he was worried while working on his earlier projects
because of his strong accent. Directors even warned him about this
problem sometimes. Regardless of the language problems, Malikyan feels
he belongs here because of the cultural affinity and closeness.
He is also teaching at the moment. Bilginer recommended that Malikyan
teach since he has a diploma in teaching. He now teaches at Kadir Has
University once a week on Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-340714-i-came-to-die-in-turkey-my-homeland-says-armenian-actor.html
From: A. Papazian
March 2 2014
'I came to die in Turkey, my homeland,' says Armenian actor
Kevork Malikyan is a humble and sincere actor. He has an extraordinary
story which started in Diyarbakır and later continued in İstanbul and
London.
Malikyan is now in Turkey, his homeland. Since his return to Turkey
two years ago, he has been involved in three major film projects. His
filmography is fairly extensive and rich and includes movies in which
he worked with famous directors such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley
Scott and with popular actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Christian
Bale.
Malikyan's story is an unusual one. An archbishop decided to open a
religious seminary in Ã`sküdar, Ä°stanbul, with the intention of taking
in the poor children of Armenian parents from various parts of Turkey
and raising them as priests. Malikyan was questioned by a priest who
wanted to determine whether or not he was a good candidate for the
priesthood. His father told him to go to the seminary because he
couldn't afford to give him an education due to the financial
problems. He was just 10. Though he was worried because he had no
friends in Ä°stanbul and he had to leave his parents behind, Malikyan
traveled to the city to become a priest.
He was sent to the Karagözyan Orphanage in Å?iÅ?li where he spent two
years before attending the religious seminary in Ã`sküdar. In the
seminary, there was a small stage where the students acted in Turkish
and Armenian. When he was 16, an Anglican priest was invited to the
school to teach them English. He was an Oxford graduate who wrote
history books. He was fond of acting and had prepared `Richard III' by
Shakespeare in English wherein Malikyan played Richard. The priest
must have liked Malikyan's acting because he told the headmaster of
the school that Malikyan should become an actor rather than a priest.
The patriarch asked Malikyan his opinion on this matter but Malikyan
was unsure because of financial concerns. Father Harding, a British
priest, found him a scholarship in Britain.
His parents did not object to his decision to go to the UK. The last
time Malikyan saw his father was in 1961. After graduating, he did not
have time to visit his parents. Malikyan left Ä°stanbul on a ship and
first arrived in Marseilles before heading to London by train. He had
no knowledge of English. Malikyan stayed with a British family that
Father Harding knew. He continued to write letters to his father, who
told him that they would meet some day. After completing his studies
at a drama school, he bought a house to bring his parents over.
However, his father died in 1974; Malikyan was unable to even attend
his funeral. His brothers later moved to Germany and 10 years later,
his mother died. Malikyan took care of her funeral arrangements.
In London, auditions were arranged in three different schools. The
director at Rose Bruford College made Malikyan promise that he would
attend Rosa Bruford College and not audition aat the two other
schools. He agreed but his English was poor. He took English lessons
three days a week, all paid for by the school, which was affiliated
with the University of Kent. Malikyan later received diplomas for
acting and teaching from the school.
Malikyan taught diction courses for a while but later started acting.
He was lucky because he found a job just two days after graduating.
His first play was `Macbeth.' Then he took parts in TV series and
acted in plays where he generally played a foreigner (Italian or
French). But he was unable to obtain lead roles in British plays. Some
15 to 20 years later, he told his manager that he wanted to get parts
in theater and wanted to stay away from TV series. Malikyan signed a
contract with the Royal Shakespeare Company while acting in series by
TV stations, like the BBC. He played different roles and then moved on
to the Royal National Theater. Malikyan also played in Shakespeare's
theater, the Globe, for three years where he was in renowned plays
such as `King Lear,' `Henry IV' and `Front Line.'
Malikyan met Spielberg and Scott via his manager. His manager had
called and told him that Spielberg had wanted to see him. Spielberg
told Malikyan that even though he did some excellent work, he wanted
to know more about his work, which was known in the US. Malikyan
referred to `Midnight Express,' where he put an American in jail, a
performance which Spielberg remembered. Malikyan later waited for a
few months; during this period, he even rejected offers by the BBC.
Spielberg later called him up and Malikyan got a part in `Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade.' Malikyan also worked with Scott recently.
His manager sent him a script of the movie and Malikyan made a tape in
Ä°stanbul and sent it back. He got the part and is now in the movie
`Exodus.'
Malikyan decided to move back to his home country because he felt
lonely. In addition, his parents' graves are in Turkey. Two of his
brothers died in Germany in different cities while his sister is in
France. He thought at least one of them should be in Turkey. His wife
moved to Cyprus and his daughter to Tunisia. This left him alone in
London. He initially thought he would be buried in a British cemetery
when he died but eventually decided to move to Turkey because he
wanted to die here.
Five years ago, he noticed there was going to be a festival at the
Globe with the participation of actors from 38 different countries who
would play 38 Shakespeare plays. He asked the creative director of the
theater if they were inviting Turkey and Armenia. The director asked
Malikyan if there was a theater in these countries. Malikyan
remembered Haluk Bilginer; they had met on the set of a play, `Half
Moon Street,' in the late 1970s. Malikyan later watched their play in
Turkey and Haluk Bilginer asked him to be part of the play. Malikyan
decided to play a brief role and as a result, he moved to Turkey.
His manager told him one day that Reha Erdem wanted to see him., He
was familiar with American, British, German, Russian and Italian
movies while in London but not with Turkish cinema. He had only heard
about Yılmaz Güney and Fatih Akın. Malikyan met with Erdem, saw his
work and after a lengthy discussion, agreed to be involved in Erdem's
projects. He was also a part of `Yozgat Blues' by Mahmut Fazıl as
well.Malikyan experienced some minor hardships while adapting to
Turkey. He spent many years in Britain and speaks English fluently. He
is able to speak Kurdish due to his childhood in Diyarbakır. In the
beginning, he was worried while working on his earlier projects
because of his strong accent. Directors even warned him about this
problem sometimes. Regardless of the language problems, Malikyan feels
he belongs here because of the cultural affinity and closeness.
He is also teaching at the moment. Bilginer recommended that Malikyan
teach since he has a diploma in teaching. He now teaches at Kadir Has
University once a week on Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-340714-i-came-to-die-in-turkey-my-homeland-says-armenian-actor.html
From: A. Papazian