Samantha Barks

SAMANTHA BARKS

Date of Birth: October 2, 1990

Samantha Jane Barks, who grew up on the UK's Isle of Man, began taking ballet, modern and tap dancing lessons when she was just three years old. She also studied singing and made her performing debut at age four in a local stage production of Snow White. She went on to play roles in other local amateur productions, including as Rizzo in Grease.

In 2007, Samantha represented the Isle of Man in the Maltese International Song Competition, winning first place and the "Best Foreign Singer" title. The following year, at 17, she came in third in a BBC talent show TV series called I'd Do Anything, which was essentially a search for an actress to play Nancy in a London revival of the musical Oliver!. Also on TV, she had a singing role in the British TV movie The Final Quest.

On stage, Samantha has played the title role in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Windsor and Sally Bowles in Cabaret at The Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Her biggest break came when she was cast as Éponine in Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre in London's West End. After Cameron Mackintosh saw her perform the role, he cast her in Les Misérables in Concert: The 25th Anniversary, opposite Nick Jonas, which led to her making her film debut in the same role in the big screen version opposite celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe.

Her latest credits include the family drama The Christmas Candle (2013) with Lesley Manville, a 2014 episode of the Emmy-winning series Robot Chicken, and the war drama Bitter Harvest (2017) with Max Irons.

Filmography:

Bitter Harvest (2017)
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013)
The Christmas Candle (2013)
Les Misérables (2012)