Vatan Şaşmaz

Vatan Şaşmaz — Biography

Vatan Şaşmaz, born Vatansever Şaşmaz, was a familiar face on Turkish television, first as a morning-show host and then as a well-liked comedy actor. For years he appeared on atv alongside Melike Öcalan, and he reached his widest audience as the character Engin in the series Çocuklar Duymasın. On August 27, 2017, he was shot dead in a hotel in Istanbul at the age of 42; he was buried at Çengelköy Cemetery.

Because he was born on Vatan Street in Istanbul, his mother gave him the name Vatansever; his family is originally from Biga in Çanakkale. He studied business administration at Istanbul University. He entered the industry in 1992 as a photo model and appeared in commercials and music videos. He then hosted morning shows on atv with Melike Öcalan, and later the entertainment-news program Özel Hat. In the 2000s he turned to acting: besides Çocuklar Duymasın he appeared in series such as Avrupa Yakası, Belalı Baldız, Çılgın Yuva, Aynı Çatı Altında, Yalancı Romantik and Zordur Almak Bizden, and later in İşler Güçler and Galip Derviş.

He also worked in television films, playing Akşemseddin in a film made for TGRT and Dr. Ergun in Dudaktan Kalbe. In cinema he played the Prince on the White Horse in Keloğlan Kara Prens'e Karşı and appeared in Kanal-İ-zasyon, İblis: Cadı Kanı, Hiç Rıza and Seninki Kaç Para. Besides acting and presenting, he is also described as an author.