Şevval Sam

Şevval Sam — Biography

Türkdeniz Şevval Sam, a Turkish actress and singer, was born on November 11, 1973, in İstanbul. She grew up in a household where music and art were part of everyday life, as the daughter of the singer Leman Sam and Selim Sam. Over a career now stretching beyond three decades she has become widely known through roles in popular series such as Süper Baba, Gülbeyaz, Bodrum Masalı and Yasak Elma, while also building a substantial discography as a recording artist.

She finished her primary and middle schooling at Hasan Ali Yücel İlköğretim Okulu, then graduated from the restoration department of İstanbul Zincirlikuyu İnşaat Teknik ve Yapı Meslek Lisesi, and went on to complete her degree in the Graphic Design Department of Marmara University's Faculty of Fine Arts.

Her first encounter with television came in 1993 with Süper Baba, one of the era's most beloved productions, where her Deniz/Derya character left a lasting impression on audiences. She took the lead role in Feride in 1996 and joined the ensemble of Aşkın Dağlarda Gezer in 1999. Across the 2000s she appeared in a string of series including Karaoğlan, Yıldızların Altında and Gülbeyaz (all 2002), Kurşun Yarası (2003), Müjgan Bey (2004), Yine de Aşığım (2005) and Derman (2008).

The following decade brought parts in Yalan Dünya (2011), Acayip Hikayeler (2012), Muhteşem Yüzyıl (2012) and Kara Kutu (2015). In 2016 she played Yıldız in Bodrum Masalı, a project that reunited her with Nejat İşler, her co-star from Gülbeyaz, and paired her with Murat Aygen, whom she would later work with again on Yasak Elma. It was her portrayal of Ender in Yasak Elma, which premiered in 2018, that brought her the broadest recognition of her career. In more recent years she has been seen in series such as Yan Oda (2024) and Sonra Gözler Görür (2026). On the film side, her credits feature The Edge of Heaven (2007), Siyah Beyaz (2010), Yüreğine Sor (2010), Black Horse Memories (2015), Paranın Kokusu (2018), RU (2024) and Yan Yana, the Turkish box-office leader of 2025.

Music has always run in parallel with her acting. She presented her debut album Sek in 2006 with her mother's backing, and Istanbul's Secrets, released a year later, attracted considerable attention. These were followed by Karadeniz (2008), Has Arabesk (2010), II Tek (2012), Tango (2013), Toprak Kokusu (2015), Nanninom (2016) and Karadeniz II (2022), while in 2023 and 2024 she issued the Rock'ı Severiz series. Also active as a songwriter and composer, she created the score for the 2010 documentary İki Tutam Saç: Dersim'in Kayıp Kızları and has received the Murex d'Or award.

In her personal life she married Metin Tekin in the 1990s; their son Taro Emir Tekin has followed the family tradition and works as an actor. She also has a sister, Şelale Şehnaz Sam.