Şevval Sam

Şevval Sam — Biography

Türkdeniz Şevval Sam (born 11 November 1973 in İstanbul) is a Turkish actress and singer. She was born into a family steeped in music and the arts, as the daughter of the singer Leman Sam and of Selim Sam. In a career spanning more than thirty years she has reached a wide audience with roles in series such as Süper Baba, Gülbeyaz, Bodrum Masalı and Yasak Elma, while also being a performer who has released a large number of albums.

After completing her primary and middle schooling at Hasan Ali Yücel İlköğretim Okulu, she graduated from the restoration department of İstanbul Zincirlikuyu İnşaat Teknik ve Yapı Meslek Lisesi. She then completed her undergraduate studies in the Graphic Design Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Marmara University.

She appeared on screen for the first time in 1993 in Süper Baba, one of the best-loved productions of its day, and the character of Deniz/Derya she played there stayed in viewers' minds. In 1996 she took the lead role in the series Feride, and in 1999 she joined the cast of Aşkın Dağlarda Gezer. Throughout the 2000s she acted in series such as Gülbeyaz (2002), Karaoğlan (2002), Yıldızların Altında (2002), Kurşun Yarası (2003), Müjgan Bey (2004), Yine de Aşığım (2005) and Derman (2008).

In the 2010s she took parts in Yalan Dünya (2011), Acayip Hikayeler (2012), Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2012) and Kara Kutu (2015), and in 2016 she brought the character Yıldız to life in Bodrum Masalı, alongside Nejat İşler and Murat Aygen. The role of Ender in Yasak Elma, which began in 2018, became one of the characters she is best known for. In later years she appeared in series such as Yan Oda (2024) and Sonra Gözler Görür (2026). Her film credits include Yaşamın Kıyısında (2007), Siyah Beyaz (2009), Yüreğine Sor (2009), Black Horse Memories (2015), Paranın Kokusu (2018), RU (2024) and Yan Yana, the most watched Turkish production of 2025.

Pursuing her music career alongside acting, Sam released her first album Sek in 2006 with the support of her mother Leman Sam, and drew attention with Istanbul's Secrets, which came out a year later. These were followed by Karadeniz (2008), Has Arabesk (2010), II Tek (2012), Tango (2013), Toprak Kokusu (2015), Nanninom (2016) and Karadeniz II (2022), and in 2023 and 2024 she put out the Rock'ı Severiz series. A lyricist and composer as well, she wrote the music for the 2010 documentary İki Tutam Saç: Dersim'in Kayıp Kızları, and over the course of her career she has been awarded the Murex d'Or.

In her private life, Sam married Metin Tekin in the 1990s and has a son from that marriage named Taro Emir Tekin, who is also an actor. She has a sister named Şelale Şehnaz Sam.