Xavier Samuel | |
|---|---|
 Samuel in 2012 | |
| Born | (1983-12-10)10 December 1983 (age 42) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Relatives | Benedict Samuel (brother) |
Xavier Samuel (born 10 December 1983[citation needed]) is anAustralian film and theatre actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature filmsAdore,September,[1]Further We Search,[2]Newcastle,[3]The Loved Ones,[4]Frankenstein,A Few Best Men, and playedRiley Biers inThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Billy inSpin Out. He also starred asCass Chaplin inBlonde.
Samuel was born inHamilton, Victoria, the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel.[5] He grew up inAdelaide, South Australia, and graduated fromRostrevor College in 2001 where he boarded.[6][7] When Samuel was 13, his family spent a year inDarwin due to his parents' teaching jobs.[8]
He has a younger brother,Benedict, a writer, producer and actor,[9] as well as an older sister, Bridget, a stage manager.[7]
Despite completing his senior secondary years at Rostrevor College, Samuel undertook final year drama atChristian Brothers College, where he played the part of Tom Snout (the wall) in Rostrevor College's production ofShakespeare'sA Midsummer Night's Dream as well as playing Belvile in CBC's production ofAphra Behn'sThe Rover (The Banished Cavaliers).[6]
Samuel later attended Flinders University Drama Centre and graduated in 2006.[10]
Samuel made his debut on the Australian TV showMcLeod's Daughters in 2003. He starred in the Australian horror movieRoad Train as Marcus, and also acted in the Australian movieDrowning withElephant Princess star Miles Szanto, directed byCraig Boreham.[11]
AlongsideMia Wasikowska, Samuel was in the 2007 Australian filmSeptember, set in 1968 where two young boys who share a passion for boxing are friends.[12]
In 2008, Samuel starred in the Australian surfing movieNewcastle, oppositeReshad Strik.
In 2009, Samuel was cast as Brent in the Australian horror/thriller movieThe Loved Ones in the lead role oppositeRobin McLeavy.
In early 2010, Samuel was cast as Riley Biers inThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film was Samuel's first high-profile film. Samuel was nominated for, and won, his first film award at the2011 MTV Movie Awards. In an interview withGQ Australia in November 2010, Samuel described the process of hisTwilight casting. "I sent off the audition tape from Sydney, which landed in a big pile on someone's desk. So then to actually hear something back was kind of unusual. I guess I was a bit of a gamble, but it's bizarre and wonderful."[13]
Samuel appeared asHenry Wriothesley in the 2011 filmAnonymous.
In 2012 Samuel played a lead role inA Few Best Men with other notable stars,Rebel Wilson andOlivia Newton-John. The film is about a wedding.[14] He reprised his role in the 2017 sequel,A Few Less Men.
Eventually forming a relationship with co-starPhoebe Tonkin, Samuel was cast in 3D featureBait, released in September 2012.[15][16]
In 2013 he played Ian inAdore besideRobin Wright andNaomi Watts, which is based onDoris Lessing's book and directed byAnne Fontaine.[17] The film is about two middle-aged mothers who become the lovers of each other's sons.[7]Anne Fontaine coached Samuel through rehearsals of the love scenes in a hotel room using a paid actress who stood in for Wright.[7] The film was shot inSeal Rocks in New South Wales and premiered at theSundance Film Festival under its original name of Two Mothers.[7][18]
AlongsideHugo Weaving and an owl, Samuel was cast in the movieHealing in 2014. The film is about a prison program where the inmates rehabilitate birds. When speaking about Doris the owl, Samuel stated that he grew rather fond of her as she was easy to play with and was a real diva.[7]
In 2014, Samuel was cast alongsideBrad Pitt andShia LaBeouf in the $80 million blockbusterFury, about a group of Americans inNazi Germany at the end ofWorld War II.[7]
In 2016, Samuel played the titular character inThe Death and Life of Otto Bloom, withRachel Ward and her daughter,Matilda Brown.[19]
In the same year, Samuel performed alongsideKate Beckinsale,Chloe Sevigny,Stephen Fry, andJames Fleet in the critically-acclaimed filmLove & Friendship, adapted fromJane Austen novelLady Susan.[8]
Starring alongsideHugo Weaving yet again, Samuel played the role of Simon Heywood in the Australian TV series,Seven Types of Ambiguity in 2017. The series was based onSeven Types of Ambiguity, a 2003 novel by Australian writerElliot Perlman.[20]
Samuel played Kit Parker in theAmazon thriller seriesTell Me Your Secrets in 2021.[21]
In 2022, he starred in theMarilyn Monroe bio-picBlonde, written and directed byAndrew Dominik and adapted from the2000 novel of the same name byJoyce Carol Oates. It starsAna de Armas as Marilyn Monroe and premiered onNetflix in September 2022.
As a child, Samuel wanted to be anAustralian rules football star like his heroTony Modra, and is a supporter of theAdelaide Football Club.[7]
Samuel regularly moves between America and Australia to take on roles.[6]
From 2010 to 2011, Samuel datedIranian-German modelShermine Shahrivar. In 2012, Samuel dated hisBait 3D co-star,Phoebe Tonkin.[16] From 2012 to 2015, Samuel dated hisPlush co-starEmily Browning.[22][23] Starting in 2016, he was in a relationship with modelJessica Gomes for two years.[24]
| † | Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2:37 | Theo | |
| Angela's Decision | Will Turner | ||
| 2007 | September | Ed Anderson | |
| 2008 | Newcastle | Fergus | |
| 2009 | Drowning | Dan | Short film |
| The Loved Ones | Brent | ||
| Further We Search | Age | ||
| 2010 | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | Riley Biers | |
| Road Train | Marcus | ||
| 2011 | Anonymous | Henry Wriothesley | |
| A Few Best Men | David | ||
| 2012 | Bait 3D | Josh | |
| 2013 | Adoration | Ian Weston | |
| Drift | Jimmy Kelly | ||
| Plush | Enzo | ||
| 2014 | Healing | Paul | |
| Fury | Lt. Parker | ||
| 2015 | Frankenstein | Monster / Adam | |
| 2016 | Love & Friendship | Reginald DeCourcy | |
| Mr. Church | Owen | ||
| Spin Out | Billy | ||
| The Death and Life of Otto Bloom | Otto Bloom | ||
| 2017 | Bad Blood | Vincent | |
| A Few Less Men | David | ||
| 2018 | Riot | Jim Walker | |
| Della Mortika | Lt Pasha Dimitrikov | Short film | |
| 2022 | Elvis | Scotty Moore | |
| Blonde | Cass Chaplin | ||
| 2025 | Champagne Problems | Ryan Garner | |
| 2026 | Send Help | Donovan | |
| TBA | The Great Departure† | Marc | Post-production |
| TBA | The Tuna Goddess† | Pete | In development |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | McLeod's Daughters | Jason | 1 episode |
| 2017 | Seven Types of Ambiguity | Simon Heywood | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Tell Me Your Secrets | Kit Parker | 8 episodes |
| 2023 | The Clearing | Colin Garrison | 7 episodes |
| The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart | Moss | 1 episode | |
| 2025 | Apple Cider Vinegar | Erik | 3 episodes |
| The Last Anniversary | Zeke | 3 episodes | |
| The Stolen Girl | Marcus Turner | 4 episodes |
| Year | Play | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Two Weeks with the Queen | Colin | Windmill Performing Arts |
| Osama the Hero | Unknown | The Old Fitzroy Theatre | |
| 2007 | Mercury Fur | Unknown | Griffin Theatre |
| 2014 | The Seagull | Konstantin | South Australian State Theatre |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite movie actor | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | Nominated |
| 2010 | Scream Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance Male | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Breakout: Male | Nominated | |
| 2011 | MTV Movie Awards | "Best Breakout Star" | Nominated | |
| "Best Fight" | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (withRobert Pattinson andBryce Dallas Howard) | Won | ||
| 2015 | Louisiana International Film Festival | Best Actor | Frankenstein | Won |
| 2018 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Riot | Nominated |
| Equity Ensemble Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Mini-series or Telemovie | Seven Types of Ambiguity | Won | |
| 2019 | Riot | Won | ||
| 2023 | Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | Blonde | Nominated |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
