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Anna Samson
Born
Anna May Samson

(1989-11-23) 23 November 1989 (age 34)
England, United Kingdom
OccupationActress
Years active2007–present

Anna May Samson (born 23 November 1989) is a British-born Australian actress of stage and screen. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, Samson has appeared in numerous theatre productions, receiving a Helpmann Award nomination for her role in Birdland in 2016. She made her television debut in the 2012 miniseries Conspiracy 365, and went on to appear in various TV drama series, including Jack Irish and Winners & Losers. In 2016, Samson made her feature film debut in Crime & Punishment. The following year, she starred in feature film What If It Works?, SBS drama Dead Lucky, and the miniseries Wake in Fright. From 2021 to 2022, she played Mia Anderson in the soap opera Home and Away. She portrays DI Mackenzie Clarke in the 2024 Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise.

Early life and education

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Anna May Samson[1] was born on 23 November 1989[2]in England, but spent her early years living in Nigeria.[3] Her family later relocated to Sydney, Australia.[2]

Samson attended the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts,[4] and graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2010.[5] During her time at the VCA, Samson received the John Tallis Award for Excellence.[6]

Career

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Samson joined the Red Stitch Actors Theatre and appeared in productions of Ruben Guthrie and Day One, A Hotel, Evening.[5] Roles in The Heretic for the Melbourne Theatre Company and After All This for the Elbow Room followed.[5] Other appearances in theatre productions include Alice Dreaming, Innocence – The Life and Death of Caravaggio, Gulf War, Ghetto and O'Horo – The Dance of Death.[6] Samson co-devised and performed the 2009 play Womb Division.[6]

She made her television debut in the 2012 series Conspiracy 365.[5] She had supporting roles in television dramas Jack Irish, Winners & Losers, and Halifax: Retribution.[3][1] In 2016, Samson appeared in Trudy Hellier and Maria Theodorakis's Australian webseries Little Acorns, a comedy set in a childcare centre.[7] Samson made her feature film debut in Andrew O'Keefe's Crime & Punishment, an adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel of the same name.[8][9] She also starred in the horror short Tanglewood, which was shown at Monster Fest.[10]

Samson stars alongside Luke Ford in the 2017 film What If It Works? from writer-director Romi Trower. Samson plays Grace, an artist who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. The film premiered at the Cinequest Film and VR Festival.[11] That same year, Samson appeared in an episode of The Leftovers,[12] and the four-part SBS drama series Dead Lucky.[13] She also starred in the two-part miniseries Wake in Fright as Michaela "Mick" Jaffries.[4] The series is a television adaptation of the 1971 film of the same name and Samson's character was billed as "a contemporary reinvention" of the role originally played by Jack Thompson.[4] To prepare for the part, Samson watched MMA fights, lifted weights and took up boxing.[4] In 2018, Samson starred in the indie romance film 36 Questions alongside James Mason.[14] She appeared in the 2020 remake of Children of the Corn.[15]

Samson joined the main cast of Australian soap opera Home and Away as Mia Anderson in February 2021.[12] She was introduced alongside Sam Barrett, who plays Mia's daughter Chloe Anderson. The pair were given an instant connection to the other characters through Mia's relationship with Ari Parata (Rob Kipa-Williams).[16] Following her casting announcement, Samson received criticism about her appearance on social media, leading her to release a statement calling out those that had sent her the comments.[3] Just over a year later, Samson departed the serial in April 2022.[17]

She then starred as Margarita in Eamon Flack's 2023 production of The Master and Margarita at the Belvoir St Theatre.[18] In April 2024, the BBC confirmed Samson would be playing DI Mackenzie Clarke in the Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise.[19] Her casting makes her the first female lead detective in the "Paraverse". The Australian-set series is filmed in Sydney and Illawarra. It centres on Mackenzie's return to her home town of Dolphin Cove, after she is forced to leave London and her job with the Met.[19]

Personal life

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Following her appearance in an episode of The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Samson, along with actress Tamzen Hayes, accused lead actor Craig McLachlan of sexual harassment on the set.[20] Samson alleged that McLachlan touched her buttock during their scenes together, making her forget her lines.[20]

Filmography

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Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Crime & Punishment Sonya Marmelade
2016 Tanglewood Sarah Short
2017 What If It Works? Grace
2018 36 Questions Gabrielle
2020 Children of the Corn Sheila Boyce
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Conspiracy 365 Natalie Episode: "February"
2013 Offspring Claire Episode: "The Things We Do For Love"
2014 Winners & Losers Hayley Baxter Recurring
2015 The Doctor Blake Mysteries Wendy Smith Episode: "By the Southern Cross"
2016 Hunters Steph Le Guin Recurring
2016 Little Acorns Anna Webseries
2017 The Leftovers Young Woman with Beret Episode: "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World"
2017 Wake in Fright Michaela "Mick" Jaffries Miniseries
2018 Jack Irish Kendra Raspovic Recurring
2018 Dead Lucky Anna Jamison Main cast
2020 Halifax: Retribution Smithy Episode "1.3"
2021–2022 Home and Away Mia Anderson Main cast
2024 Return to Paradise DI Mackenzie Clarke Main cast
Stage roles
Year Production Role Company/theatre
2007 Alice Dreaming Alice Australian Theatre for Young People
2009 Innocence – The Life and Death of Caravaggio Lena Victorian College of the Arts
2010 Ghetto Lina The Dummy Victorian College of the Arts
2010 O'Horo – The Dance of Death Achilles Victorian College of the Arts
2011 Ruben Guthrie Zoya Red Stitch Actors Theatre
2011 After All This Performer Melbourne Fringe Festival
2011 Day One, A Hotel, Evening Rose Darby Red Stitch Actors Theatre
2012 The Heretic Phoebe Melbourne Theatre Company
2012 Pompeii LA Make-up Artist Malthouse Theatre
2013 Arden v Arden The Hayloft Project
2014 The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant Karin Theatre Works
2014 The Sublime Amber Melbourne Theatre Company
2015 Wet House Kerry Red Stitch Actors Theatre
2015 Birdland Marnie/Lucy/Sophie/Nicola Melbourne Theatre Company
2016 Skylight Kyra Hollis Melbourne Theatre Company
2018 Bliss Honey Barbara Malthouse Theatre
2018 Love Tanya Darlinghurst Theatre
2019 Anatomy of a Suicide Carol Old Fitzroy Theatre
2022 Anatomy of a Suicide Anna The Reginald Theatre
2023 The Master and Margarita Margarita Belvoir St Theatre

Awards and nominations

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For her role in Simon Stephens' play Birdland, Samson was nominated for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play at the 16th Helpmann Awards in 2016.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hockey, Maddison (17 January 2021). "Home And Away's new cast member has been identified and the story behind her character promises huge drama". TV Week. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Bannon Ward, Shauna (9 March 2022). "Home and Away's Anna Samson's romance with co-star Lee Jones and online abuse away from Mia Anderson role". RSVP Live. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Harvey, Kerry (21 April 2021). "Home and Away actor loves that whānau feeling". Stuff. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Saw, Amelia (7 October 2017). "Anna Samson exposes Australia's ugly side in Ten miniseries Wake in Fright". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Pompeii L.A. Program". Malthouse Theatre. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2024 – via Issuu.
  6. ^ a b c "Alumni – Anna Samson". Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  7. ^ Knox, David (3 September 2016). "Women behaving badly on Little Acorns". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Crime & Punishment". Screen Australia. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Made In Melbourne Film Festival – Crime and Punishment". We Are Moving Stories. 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Horror For The Homeless". Monster Fest. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  11. ^ "Luke Ford, Brooke Satchwell starrer 'What If It Works?' to bow at Cinequest". IF Magazine. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b Woolford, Lisa; Byrnes, Holly (3 January 2021). "New TV shows and faces to watch in 2021 in Australia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Rachel Griffiths to head the cast of SBS' 'Dead Lucky'". IF Magazine. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  14. ^ Dennehy, LukeEpsteinJackieTe KohaNui (15 April 2014). "Game Finn drops hints". Herald Sun. Retrieved 25 April 2024 – via Gale.
  15. ^ Abrams, Simon (3 March 2023). "Children of the Corn". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  16. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (7 February 2021). "Home and Away teases new characters Mia and Chloe as Ari's backstory is explored". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  17. ^ Cullen, Tamara (30 April – 6 May 2022). "Going home". TV Week. No. 18. p. 5.
  18. ^ Weber, Kris (11 November 2023). "Anna Samson tackles her fears in The Master and Margarita". Theatre Matters. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  19. ^ a b Cormack, Morgan (9 April 2024). "Death in Paradise's Australian spin-off confirms cast as filming begins". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  20. ^ a b Knowles, Lorna (14 May 2021). "Craig McLachlan sexually harassed three more actresses, bullied actor, court documents allege". ABC News. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Anna Samson – Actor" (PDF). Shanahan. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  22. ^ Cuthbertson, Debbie; Rugendyke, Louise (21 June 2016). "Helpmann Awards 2016: Matilda The Musical gives grown-ups the slip in nominations". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
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