Born: May 13, 1977
Date of Birth: May 13, 1977
One of eight siblings, Samantha's parents divorced when she was three, and she ended up living under foster care. Samantha trained at the Central Junior Television Workshop, and left when she was 13.
She soon landed a role in 1991 in the T.V. series Soldier, Soldier. Since then she has played many minor TV roles in such dramas as Cracker, and Peak Practice, before reaching the big time with major roles in such TV movies and mini-series as Emma, Jane Eyre and Tom Jones.
The late '90s were good to Samantha. In 1998, she received the Best Actress Award from the Boston Society of Film Critics for her portrayal of Iris in Under the Skin. In 1999, she married fellow actor from the movie, The Last Yellow, Charlie Creed-Miles, and earned rave reviews for her performance in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown, as well as her first Oscar nomination and a nomination from the Golden Globes. In 2004, she earned her second Oscar nomination for her role as a young Irish mother in In America (2003). Some of her more recent film credits include The Messenger (2010), John Carter (2012) and Cosmopolis (2012). She followed this up with roles in The Harvest (2013) and Miss Julie (2014).
In 2016, she co-starred in the Harry Potter reboot Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) alongside Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell, as well as the animated adventure Magik (2016), alongside the voice talents of Benedict Cumberbatch and Matthew Goode.
She came into the film industry with a specific goal in mind, "I want to prove that you don't have to come from Oxford University or RADA—and you don't have to have parents that support you—to succeed." A worthy ambition which will likely be satisfied.
She and Creed-Miles have a daughter, Esme, born February 5, 2000 in London.
Filmography:
Magik (2016)