Turkish theater and film actor, director, screenwriter and producer Mustafa Sami Ayanoğlu was born in 1913 in İstanbul. After passing the entrance exam for the Darülbedayi’s Theater Vocational School, he acted in and directed many plays for the İstanbul City Theaters, and made his start in cinema. He started the Çığ Film company and wrote, produced and directed numerous films. He was named Best Actor by Yıldız Magazine for his performance in Vatan ve Namık Kemal, which he co-directed with Talat Artemel and Cahide Sonku in 1951.