Savanna Samson (born October 14, 1967) is the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

of Natalie Oliveros, an American former

pornographic actress A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinc ...

. The winner of several

AVN Awards The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...

, she has spent most of her career as a contract performer with major producer Vivid Entertainment, and is known for her roles in acclaimed adult films such as '' The New Devil in Miss Jones''. In addition to performing, she has her own adult film studio, Savanna Samson Productions. A native of upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, she entered the adult film industry in 2000, after working as a dancer at the

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

strip club, Scores. Samson has gained mainstream recognition with appearances on television shows such as ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'', ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' and ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

''. Her wide range of activities outside pornography include working as a sex-advice columnist, a radio presenter and a political correspondent. She also produces her own line of wines, has a recording contract with

E1 Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

and is a trained

ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...

Early life

Born Natalie Skeldon, one of five daughters, she grew up in a Roman Catholic family in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River, about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the t ...

. She began dancing at a young age. At 17, she moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to pursue a career in ballet. However, she eventually gave this up, admitting she "wasn't good enough". She took a job dancing at the

strip club Scores, on the recommendation of her sister who worked there. When starting at the club, she chose the stage name Savanna in homage to a character in the novel and film, '' The Prince of Tides'' (1986/1991). In 2000, she left that work as a dancer intending to become a porn film star. She choose the name Savanna Samson. The surname Samson, taken from the biblical figure, was added later in her career to distinguish her from porn actress

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

. While at Scores, she met her future husband, wine merchant Daniel Oliveros. They have a son together.

Adult film career

Samson's move into the adult film business began in 2000, after she wrote a letter to Italian porn actor and director Rocco Siffredi, asking to work with him. She initially wanted to make a movie in order to fulfill a fantasy, after her husband had given her the idea, and hoped to keep it a secret. But her first movie, ''Rocco Meats An American Angel In Paris'', was nominated for "Best Foreign Release" at the

. Afterward, she got what she described as "porn fever" and worked to make further movies. Her family soon discovered her film career when she appeared on ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...

'' and ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...

''. Samson stated in 2006: "My parents are devastated by my career choices". In April 2002, she signed an exclusive contract with Vivid Entertainment. She continued to live in New York, and commuted to California to shoot films for the company. Samson was among three Vivid Girls to be profiled in an early-2003 issue of '' Vanity Fair'', as part of an annual roundup of the entertainment industry. The Girls were featured alongside mainstream actors, such as

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English actor. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Daniel Day-Lewis, numerous a ...

and

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress and children's author. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent ...

, in a double-page photograph taken at

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

's home on the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

. Samson was also one of several Vivid Girls who wrote material for the book ''How to Have a XXX Sex Life: The Ultimate Vivid Guide'', published by ReganBooks on July 20, 2004. Samson helped promote the book with appearances on ''

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

'' and ''The Howard Stern Show''. In May 2004, she joined several other porn actresses and began to write as a columnist for AVNInsider.com. At the 2004

AVN Award The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...

s, Samson won " Best Actress – Film" and "Best Group Sex Scene – Film" for her role in ''Looking In'', a 2003 film about four suburban couples who have a view into each other's houses. Along with comedian

Thea Vidale Thea R. Vidale (born November 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in the ABC sitcom '' Thea'', which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted a ...

, Samson hosted the 2005 AVN Awards. She also won awards that year for "Best All-Girl Sex Scene – Film" and "Best Group Sex Scene – Film". In February 2005, Samson began co-hosting a daily music-and-talk radio show on the Internet station Electric Eye Radio. Later in the year, she was featured alongside

Jenna Jameson Jenna Marie Massoli (born April 9, 1974), known professionally as Jenna Jameson (), is an American businesswoman, writer, television personality, and former pornographic film actress. She has been named the world's most famous adult entertainm ...

in Vivid's high-budget remake of the classic adult film ''

The Devil in Miss Jones ''The Devil in Miss Jones'' is a 1973 pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano, inspired by the 1944 play ''No Exit'' by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. Starring Georgina Spelvin and Harry Reems, it is widely ...

''. Samson's role as Miss Jones earned her the 2006 AVN Awards for "Best Actress – Film" and "Best All-Girl Sex Scene – Film". During her acceptance speech, she expressed gratitude for this support from her peers and said "most of my family is pretty ashamed of what I do". Samson announced in early 2006 that she had started her own production company, Savanna Samson Productions, which would release one film a year, to be distributed exclusively by Vivid. During 2006, Samson appeared on '' The Tyra Banks Show'', '' The Dr. Keith Ablow Show'', '' Secret Lives of Women'', and for the second time, ''

''. Michael Lucas' 2006 gay-porn

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for 'the sweet life' or 'the good life'Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, and Brunello Rondi. The film stars M ...

'' featured a cameo appearance by Samson, which in 2007 won her the GayVN Award for "Best Non-Sexual Performance". Early in 2007, Samson signed a record contract with

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

, now known as

, who had approached her after hearing her sing during a radio tour. On May 3, 2007, she appeared as a guest on the

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

public radio series, ''The Tristan Mysteries'', to discuss

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

's opera ''

Tristan und Isolde ''Tristan und Isolde'' (''Tristan and Isolde''), WWV 90, is a music drama in three acts by Richard Wagner set to a German libretto by the composer, loosely based on the medieval 12th-century romance ''Tristan and Iseult'' by Gottfried von Stras ...

''. A long-time Wagner fan, Samson said, "I think I'm in a unique position to discuss the sensual aspects of the 'Tristan and Isolde' characters and of opera in general". In June 2007, Savanna Samson Productions released its first title, ''Any Way You Want Me'', an interactive movie directed by and starring Samson. She also appeared in the 2007 film '' Debbie Does Dallas ... Again'', a sequel to the 1978 classic '' Debbie Does Dallas'', as well as its "making of" series that was broadcast weekly on Showtime. The film gained her a 2008 AVN Award for "Best Group Sex Scene – Film". In April 2008, Samson became a political correspondent on

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

's late-night talk show ''

Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld ''Red Eye'' (also known as ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'' from 2007 to 2015 and ''Red Eye w/ Tom Shillue'' from 2015 to 2017) is an American late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on Fox News, which aired at 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday throug ...

''. She had made several previous appearances on the show, and in 2007 had endorsed New York Republican mayor

Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and Disbarment, disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney ...

's presidential candidacy. In September 2008 her debut album, ''Possession'', was released, and her first single, a title track co-written by Samson during the breakup of her marriage. Commenting on the theme of the song, she said, "People see me nude and having sex and think they know me and that I'm available, but I'm no more available than

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

". Later in the month, she had a cameo role on ''

'', in which she portrayed ''

CBS Evening News The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featu ...

'' anchor

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. Since 2016, she ha ...

in a commercial for a fictional action-adventure show. In the appearance, Samson asks ''Daily Show'' correspondent Jason Jones, "Hey, Jones, you really think you've got the balls for that story?" She began writing a sex-advice column for the adult entertainment site XCritic.com in June 2009, having previously written such columns for '' Men’s Fitness'' magazine and AdultFriendFinder.com. Samson made her mainstream acting debut in the ''

'' episode, " Into the Crevasse", which first aired on October 22, 2009. In the episode, she plays a porn version of

Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. Known for her comedic roles in sketch comedy, television and film, Fey has received List of awards and nominations received by Tina Fe ...

's character,

Liz Lemon Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' 30 Rock''. She created and wrote for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''. She is ...

. In 2011, Samson was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame. According to the Internet Adult Film Database, as of May 2010 Samson had appeared in 90 adult movies, including compilations containing recycled scenes. A 2006 article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that she earns from $20,000 to over $100,000 per film, depending on sales, with each one taking from three days to two weeks to make. An '' Adult Video News'' article written in February 2006 stated that Samson had five years left on her contract with Vivid.

Winemaking

Despite enjoying her career in the adult film industry, Samson had other ambitions. In 2005, while on vacation in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy, she decided she could "leave a mark on this world" by making wine. Then married to a wine merchant, she had frequently traveled to Italy and France, and often fantasized about owning her own vineyard. When she was a child, she had helped her family make wine in the basement of their house in Watertown, New York. She formed the company, Savanna Samson Wines, and asked Italian winemaker and consultant Roberto Cipresso to help find a blend of grapes local to Tuscany that would produce her ideal flavor. They eventually chose a mixture of 70 percent Cesanese, 20 percent

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

and 10 percent

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome ...

, which produced a red wine that she named ''Sogno Uno,'' meaning 'Dream One.' Its label played on Samson's notoriety as a porn star, featuring a side view of her wearing only a see-through gown and high heels. Wine critic Robert M. Parker, Jr. gave Sogno Uno a rating of 90 to 91 out of 100, and described it as "awfully good". A gala launch was held for the wine at a Manhattan restaurant on February 27, 2006. By June 2007, her company had produced two more wines.

Awards

* 2004

- Best Actress, Film (''Looking In'') * 2004 AVN Award - Best

Group Sex Group sex is sexual activity involving more than two people. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have their own na ...

Scene, Film (''Looking In'') * 2005 AVN Award - Best All-Girl Sex Scene, Film ('' The Masseuse'') with

* 2005 AVN Award - Best Group Sex Scene, Film (''Dual Identity'') * 2005 Eroticline Award - Best Erotic Actress in the World * 2005 NightMoves Award - Best Actress/Female Performer (Editor's Choice) * 2006 XRCO Award - Best Single Performance, Actress ('' The New Devil in Miss Jones'') * 2006 AVN Award - Best Actress, Film (''The New Devil in Miss Jones'') * 2006 AVN Award - Best All-Girl Sex Scene, Film (''The New Devil in Miss Jones'') * 2007 GayVN Award - Best Non-Sexual Performance ('' Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita'') * 2008 AVN Award - Best Group Sex Scene, Film ('' Debbie Does Dallas ... Again'') * 2011 AVN Hall of Fame inductee

References

External links