On Jan. 24, my mother called me to share the news that actress and Yeşilçam icon Fatma Girik had passed away. Calling her the "Elizabeth Taylor" of Turkey, my mum recalled getting the chance to see her perform at the famous Maksim Gazinosu in the early 1970s. While the word "Gazino" may sound familiar, it in no case refers to a casino but is instead a cabaret-type supper hall where hundreds sit at dozens of tables and feast and dine to a long line-up of performances by Turkey’s reigning stars.

This was the height of the Yeşilçam era, in which around 300 films were produced annually and prolific actresses such as Fatma Girik would double as actresses and vocalists, flitting back and forth between film sets and gazino stages. Meanwhile, gazinos also had a double identity, because at nighttime, they would be a boisterous banquet hall with men and women dining and drinking to all hours of the night.

For the more well-established, conservative or just plain curious, like my mother, there was also a "kadınlar matinesi," which means "women’s matinee," in which the exact same routine would take place, except this time the audience was composed entirely of women and the cabaret was held during the day.

Maksim and the rise and fall of the Black Russian

The Caddebostan Maksim was one of four Maksim Gazinosu in Istanbul as there were also branches in Taksim, Bebek and Taşlık. Their heyday was in the '60s and '70s, but some continued to operate and be frequented up until 2005. In their prime, you could see any number of Turkey’s most famous performers, vocalists and otherwise that would perform in multiple lineups on any given night. Just some of the artists that would grace these stages were none other than Ajda Pekkan, Zeki Müren, Hülya Avşar and Bülent Ersoy. The list goes on and on.

The Caddebostan Maksim, which closed down briefly in the '90s and then for good in the mid-2000s, is now a large Migros sitting at its prime location on the shore. The Bebek Maksim burned down to a ruin in the late 1970s and the Taşlık Maksim has become a hotel, namely Swissotel The Bosphorus.

Now, where it gets interesting is that the true legacy of the "gazino" culture in Istanbul began with the Taksim Maksim, which was opened and named by an African American from Mississippi called Frederick Bruce Thomas. It was located at the entrance of Sıraselviler in what was once a French-Greek school that was rebuilt into a movie theater called Cinemajik. In 1921, it was this American from a small town called Coahoma who would introduce this cabaret and supper hall concept to Istanbul.

Frederick Bruce Thomas was born in 1872 to former slaves Lewis and Hannah Thomas, who owned a farm in Coahoma County. When a white farmer stole their land (over 600 acres), Frederick’s father was murdered, an incident that sparked Thomas to travel all over Europe seeking work. He worked in various positions in restaurants and in the tourism industry in over a dozen European cities from London to Paris, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Vienna and Milan, among many others.

Thomas entered Russia in 1899 and began working as a waiter. It was with those earnings that he would eventually open two of the most successful entertainment venues in the heart of pre-revolutionary Moscow: Maxim and Aquarium. He made what would have been equivalent to his first million dollars in 1912 and by 1914, he was a Russian citizen. Thomas was known for his signature black tie and top hat, for easily switching between multiple languages and for his keen eye and sobriety in an environment where alcohol was flowing. He is said to have been extremely protective of his dancers, while also being credited for bringing the tango to Russia.

When the Russian Revolution began in 1917, Thomas lost everything. He was 47 and is said to have had $25 when he made his way to Constantinople, in addition to the burdens of an expecting wife and a previous wife in Europe with three children and another missing. Nonetheless, Thomas fled to what is present-day Istanbul. Somehow in 1919, he managed to open the Stella Club in Şişli, and this was Constantinople’s first live-music nightclub.

In 1921, he opened the Taksim Maksim Gazinosu, however in 1923, the Ottoman Empire fell and once again Thomas lost everything, but this time his bankruptcy was mainly due to taxes. Thomas’ request for a United States passport was declined due to his slave ancestry and returning to Russia in the midst of the Bolshevik Revolution was not an option. And so, alas, tragically Thomas ended up in a debtor’s prison in Istanbul. He passed away in 1928 at the age of 55 and is buried in the Pangaltı Catholic Cemetery.

Referred to as the "Black Russian" by many publications, including a captivating biography penned by Yale professor Vladimir E. Alexandrov, this prominent businessperson in Moscow and Istanbul also has another legacy he is famed for: He introduced jazz music to Constantinople even before it’s heyday in the U.S. in the 1920s. And that’s why, this Russian-American national, who was once an expat in Turkey, is also known as the "Sultan of Jazz."

The Taksim Maksim was brought back to life in 1961 by two Turkish businesspeople Emin Yeyman and Fahrettin Aslan and while Frederick may have planted the seeds, it was this venture that would end up being replicated in other areas of the city to showcase the vast talent of the prolific actresses, actors and singers of a golden era in Turkey lovingly referred to as Yeşilçam. The Taksim Maksim Gazinosu also shut down for good in 2005 and the spot where these legends once sang long served as a parking lot before the plot was converted to a hotel, namely Sofitel Istanbul, with the unique façade of the Maksim preserved.

Fatma Girik and her multiple beautiful faces

Fatma Girik is considered to be one of the top four most prolific actresses in Turkey alongside Türkan Şoray, Filiz Akın and Hülya Köçyiğit. Girik alone has starred in over 180 films shot between the years 1954 to 2005.

Some of my personal favorites include the 1987 science-fiction comedy "Japon Işi" ("Japanese Business"), where she stars alongside Kemal Sunal. In the 1977 film "Intikam Meleği" ("Angel of Vengeance"), she plays a female version of Hamlet. Ağrı Dağı Efsanesi is a Turkish-language opera about Mount Ağrı, known as Mount Ararat, filmed in 1971. But Girik was not only an actress and vocalist, she also served as the mayor of Şişli from 1989 to 1994.