Filiz Akin, a screen actress and iconic figure of Turkish cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, has passed away at the age of 82, the Health Ministry announced.

Akin died on Saturday in a hospital in Istanbul. The cause of death was not specified.

“Filiz Akin, one of the rare gems of Turkish cinema has passed away at the hospital where she had been receiving treatment for some time,” the ministry said, adding that the actress had left “unforgettable marks on the history of cinema.”

Along with Turkan Soray, Hulya Kocyigit and Fatma Girik, Akin was considered one of the four most iconic actresses of the Turkish film industry that was known as “Yesilcam” - after the street in Istanbul where film companies were based.

Akin was born in Ankara on January 2, 1943. Her journey to stardom began when she submitted her photograph to a beauty contest organised by a magazine in 1962, encouraged by the mother of a high school friend.

She won the competition and caught the attention of Turkish film producer and director Memduh Un, who introduced her to the film world. She went on to star in more than 200 movies between 1962 and 1975.

She is survived by her husband and a son, Ilker Inanoglu, who is also an actor.