Full Name Keriman Halis Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) Name Keriman Ece Siblings Turgan Ece | Hair color Black Role Pianist Ex-spouse Dr. Orhan Sanus Eye color Dark brown Parents Tevfik Halis Bey | |
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Alma mater Lycee de Bogazici (Feyziati) Died January 28, 2012, Istanbul, Turkey | ||
Keriman Halis Ece-Tamer, known as Keriman Halis Ece, (February 16, 1913 – January 28, 2012) was a Turkish beauty pageant titleholder, pianist, and fashion model who won the Miss Turkey 1932 title. She was also crowned Miss Universe 1932 in Spa, Belgium and thus became Turkey's first and only Miss Universe.
Biography
She is of Ubykh origin. Keriman Halis was born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, as one of the six children of a merchant from Hacıosman, Manyas, Tevfik Halis Bey, in 1913. Her uncle was a renowned operatta composer Muhlis Sabahattin Ezgi and her aunt a well-known musician and composer Neveser Kökdeş. Her brother is one of the former presidents of the Turkish sports club Galatasaray S.K., Turgan Ece. She was fluent in French and Turkish.
She participated 1932 in the Miss Turkey beauty pageant that started only in 1929 and was promoted by the newspaper Cumhuriyet. She was elected the most beautiful Turkish woman in the contest held on July 2, 1932 in İstanbul among eight candidates. Keriman Halis was sent then to the International Pageant of Pulchritude contest held in Spa, Belgium to represent Turkey. On July 31, 1932, she finished first among competitors from 27 countries, achieving Turkey’s first title at an international beauty contest after three years only of its existence and less than a decade after the founding of the Republic.
Following the introduction of the surname act on June 21, 1934, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk gave her the family name "Ece", which means "queen" in Turkish language.
She died on January 28, 2012, nineteen days shy of her 99th birthday. She was laid to rest at the Feriköy Cemetery, Istanbul.
