Samantha Barks

Born

1990-10-02

Birthplace

Laxey, Isle of Man

Biography

Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. She has released three studio albums: Looking in Your Eyes (2007), Samantha Barks (2016), and Into the Unknown (2021), and made her film debut as Éponine in the Tom Hooper-directed Les Misérables in 2012. Her performance in the film won her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast. Barks starred opposite Jonathan Bailey in the Disney Channel musical-comedy Groove High (2012–2013) and again, in the London revival of the musical The Last Five Years in 2016. In 2018, she originated the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman: The Musical on Broadway. Since 2021, she has played Elsa in the West End production of Frozen, though she took some time off for maternity leave.