Samantha Barks (born 2 October 1990) is an actress and singer from the Isle of Man. She got her start on the 2008 British talent show I'd Do Anything and eventually placed third. She was cast as Éponine in the London production of Les Misérables in 2010 (including performing the role for the show's 25th anniversary concert) and gained widespread attention after reprising the role in the film version of the musical.
Since then she has had a reputed career on the stage, playing the protagonist roles of Amélie and Vivian Ward in their respective films' screen to stage adaptations. She starred in Groove High alongside Jonathan Bailey, whom she would reunite with for the London production of The Last Five Years.
Barks has also released her own music, including her third album in 2021.
Filmography:
- Groove High (2012): Zoe Myer
- Les Misérables (2012): Éponine
- The Christmas Candle (2013): Emily Barstow
- Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013): Miss Acacia (voice role, English dub)
- Bitter Harvest (2017): Natalka
- Interlude In Prague (2017): Josefa Duchek
Discography:
- Looking In Your Eyes (2007)
- Samantha Barks (2016)
- Into the Unknown (2021)
Stage Credits:
- Oliver! (2011-2013): Nancy
- Amélie (2015): Amélie
- The Last Five Years (2016): Cathy Hiatt
- Pretty Woman: The Musical (2018-2019): Vivian Ward
- Chess (2020, 2022): Florence
- Frozen (2021-): Elsa
Tropes about her career:
- Chronically Killed Actor: Onstage. Both Éponine and Nancy die tragically; she remarked upon playing Amelie that she was glad her character didn't die.
- Deleted Role: She was supposed to appear as Baba Yaga in Dracula Untold, but the role was cut from the theatrical release.
- Self-Titled Album: Her second album Samantha Barks is named for her.
- Romance on the Set: She dated and eventually married Alex Michael Stoll, whom she met on the set of Pretty Woman: The Musical (she played Vivian, he was part of the ensemble).
- The Runner-Up Takes It All: She placed third on I'd Do Anything, but went on to become a bigger name than the winner, Jodie Prenger.
- Star-Making Role: Playing Éponine for Les Misérables got her a ton of attention on both stage and screen.
