The Story of Claudia Lynx: Talent Beyond the Spotlight

Shaghayegh Samen, known professionally as Claudia Lynx is an Iranian actress, model and former singer.

Claudia Lynx was born on June 8, 1982, in Tehran, Iran, to an Iranian family. She has an older brother named Shervin. Tragically, moments after her birth, her mother (Shirin Samen) aged 24, passed away due to complications from childbirth. Three months following this tragedy, Claudia's father (Bijan Samen) decided to leave Iran and immigrated with his children to Norway. After five years in Norway, the Samen family relocated to Canada and later settled in the United States.

Acting career

Early career as a child model and host

At the age of three, Claudia Lynx was discovered by director Katrina Karingeborg in a children’s dental clinic while accompanied by her nanny. She quickly began her career as a child model and actress, appearing in advertisements for children’s products, including diapers. Following her family’s immigration to Canada, a thirteen-year-old Lynx took on the role of host for the children’s television program Shaghayegh and Naghola.

Airing from 1995 to 1997 on the Persian-language network Tamasha in Canada and the United States, the show featured Lynx alongside a puppet named Naghola, delivering weekly educational and entertaining content for Persian-speaking children and teenagers.

Rise to prominence

In 2004, Claudia Lynx marked her first significant acting role as Nefertiti in the documentary Ramses: Wrath of God or Man?, directed by Mark Aldridge and Tom Pollock for the Discovery Channel. Appearing alongside Morgan Freeman, she portrayed the legendary Egyptian queen in a historical exploration of the biblical plague of the firstborn.

Two years later, in 2005, Lynx starred as Aneh-Tet in the low-budget horror film The Legion of the Dead, directed by Paul Bales and produced by The Asylum. Alongside Courtney Clonch and Bruce Boxleitner, she played an ancient Egyptian high priestess who awakens after 4,000 years to revive her army of mummies and dominate the world.

Lynx also made a guest appearance as Miss World in the episode "Wake Up Call" (Season 6, Episode 14) of the television series The West Wing, which aired on February 9, 2005. In this episode, her character engages in a brief, humorous subplot with Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), contrasting with the main storyline involving an international crisis triggered by Iran shooting down a British airliner. She shared the screen with notable actors including Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Roger Rees.

In 2006, Lynx appeared in the short film and music video The Sixth, directed by Edward Mendoza. Alongside Tommy Lister Jr, she played a mysterious character in a surreal narrative centered on redemption. Filmed in 2006, the project was officially released in 2011.

In 2007, Lynx had a supporting role as "Pretty Girl" in the horror-thriller Succubus: Hell-Bent, directed by Kim Bass and distributed by Lionsgate. Starring alongside Natalie Denise Sperl, Gary Busey, and David Keith, she portrayed a seductive and malevolent succubus pursuing a wealthy womanizer. Despite its low budget, the film garnered attention for its supernatural storyline.

In 2008, Lynx played Scheherazade in the independent comedy-action film Lady Magdalene’s, directed by J. Neil Schulman and produced by Parramp Pictures. Alongside Nichelle Nichols and Mara Marini, she brought charm to the role of a worker in a Nevada brothel entangled in a criminal plot. The film, blending humor and suspense, showcased Lynx’s versatility, with some scenes featuring her delivering dialogue in Persian.

Music career

In 1997, Claudia Lynx recorded her debut music album, Shaghayegh, in collaboration with Koji Zadori and Taraneh Records. The album was released six years later in 2003.

The single "Chareh Chieh" from the album, accompanied by its music video, received widespread acclaim among Iranian audiences. In an interview with Persian Plus Network, Lynx reflected on the experience of recording the album:

At fifteen, with little experience and preparation, I recorded an album. Nevertheless, it was released and, fortunately, well-received.

In 2007, NYLA magazine reported that Lynx, with the assistance of her then-boyfriend Kamran Jafari, was working on her second studio album. However, following their breakup, the album was never completed or released.

Modeling career

In the late 1990s, after relocating to Los Angeles, Claudia Lynx began her modeling career with elite model management (Canada). In 2001, she appeared in advertising campaigns for brands such as Levi’s (Canada) and Niki Sports.

In December 2004, she was selected as the face of Lamborghini’s Diablo advertising campaign. Her image has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines in English, Persian, and Arabic, including Suhaag (India), Al-Wasat (Bahrain), One (Canada), Tehran, Rozaneh, Morocco World, Ukraine Gate, Sayidaty, Tuko, al-Arabiya, know insiders, Javanan, Honarmandan, Tepesh, Modo, Express, Tuko, and Fashion.

Modeling in Music Videos

From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Lynx appeared as a model in several music videos for Iranian artists based in Los Angeles. She featured in the music video for “Zanam Mishi” from the album Persian Films by the group Iran Kids/Boys. Her father, Bijan Samen, served as the cinematographer for this music video.

Diablo Girl

In 2004, Diablo selected Claudia Lynx as the primary face of its Lamborghini advertising campaign. In 2005, she appeared as the “Diablo Girl” at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Discography

Claudia Lynx recorded her debut music album at the age of 15 in 1997. Between 2003 and 2007, she released music videos for the songs "Chareh Chieh," "Yadet Miad," "Oh Daddy," "Kalkah," and "Ghahr o Ashti," produced in collaboration with Koji Zadori and distributed by Taraneh Records.

The song "Chareh Chieh," with its 6/8 rhythm, was her first music video, released in 2003, and it received widespread acclaim among Iranian audiences.

Personal life

In 2005, Claudia Lynx began a romantic relationship with Kamran Jafari, a well-known singer from the duo Kamran & Hooman, which quickly became public. In 2006, Tepesh magazine reported that the couple had officially become engaged. Additionally, NYLA magazine published an exclusive report stating that Lynx, with the support of her fiancé, was working on her second album and planning her first concert tour. However, for reasons never disclosed, the couple separated in 2007, and Lynx's second album, which had not been titled, remained unfinished and unreleased.

Lynx has consistently been private and reserved about her personal life. At the height of her artistic career, in March 2013, she unexpectedly decided to retire completely from the entertainment industry. Since then, she has not only stepped away from professional activities such as acting, modeling, and singing but also ceased all presence on social media.

Controversies

Tito Jackson

In 2008, Claudia Lynx publicly acknowledged her close friendship with the Jackson family through her appearance in the documentary The Jacksons Are Coming.

Several British media outlets, including Daily Mail and The YBF, published reports suggesting a romantic relationship with Tito Jackson (the brother of Michael Jackson). Both Lynx and Jackson officially denied these rumors.

In an interview with a BBC reporter, when asked about marriage to Tito, Lynx stated:

Tito and I are just friends. He is like an older brother to me, and I am like a younger sister to him.

Disappearance

On March 12, 2013, at the peak of her fame, Claudia Lynx abruptly retired from modeling, acting, and singing. Without providing any explanation, she announced her departure by posting a single image of herself on her official Facebook and MySpace pages. Her last public appearance was in December 2019, and no further information about her has been reported since.

Eye Color and Image Editing

One of the most important factors in Claudia Lynx's fame was the viral spread of her images with a flawless appearance on social media. Her gray-green eyes, recognized as her signature facial feature, attracted significant attention from a considerable number of internet users. However, the release of unretouched photos taken by paparazzi photographers revealed her use of image editing tools such as Photoshop.

In addition, videos from her old performances in the program "Shaghayegh and Naghola" questioned her claim that her eye color was natural; as in these videos, the dark brown color of her eyes is clearly visible. (This was while Claudia Lynx had previously repeatedly emphasized the naturalness of her eye color by publishing images from her childhood!)