Toto Karaca (March 18, 1912 – July 22, 1992) was a notable Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 stage and movie actress of Armenian

Armenians in Turkey

Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...

 descent.

İrma was born on March 18, 1912. Her mother was Mari Hranuş Felegyan. She learnt ballet

Ballet

Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

 dancing in her childhood. During her performances in musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

s, she preferred the name İrma Toto. She changed her name to Toto Karaca after she married to theatre actor Mehmet Karaca in 1939. Her son Cem Karaca

Cem Karaca

Muhtar Cem Karaca , also called Cem Baba , was a prominent Turkish rock musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock movement.-Biography:...

 became a well-known pop singer.

In the 1930s, she performed in Ömer Aydın's operetta

Operetta

Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...

s. She was among the founders of the Istanbul Theatre in 1960.

Toto Karaca died on July 22, 1992. She was laid to rest in the family grave at the Armenian Cemetery in Şişli

Sisli

Şişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...

 following the religious funeral service held in the Surp Asdvadzadzin Patriarchal Church in Kumkapı

Kumkapi

Kumkapı is part of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the Marmara Sea. Up to recent times, Kumkapı was mostly inhabited by Armenians, who still have a community school and several churches there. It is also the seat of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople...

.