Samantha Barks

1.1. Childhood and Education

Barks was born and raised in Laxey on the Isle of Man. Her mother hails from Malahide, Ireland. She attended Laxey Primary School and St Ninian's High School, Douglas. From the age of three, Barks trained extensively in various dance forms, including ballet, modern, and tap, with Dancers Barre, Stagecoach Isle of Man, Theatrix, Stage One Drama School, and the Manx Ballet Company.

1.2. Early Career Preparation

At the age of 16, Barks moved independently to London to complete her A levels at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in Chiswick. ArtsEd is a renowned institution specializing in performing arts, with notable alumni such as Julie Andrews and Sarah Brightman. Before her professional career took off, her first non-industry job was working at River Island.

2.1. Debut and Rising Popularity (2007-2011)

In April 2007, Barks released her debut album, Looking in Your Eyes, which sold approximately 600 copies. The album, released on the independent label Brunswick Studios, featured several songs she co-wrote. She performed at the Peel Bay Festival in June 2007, supporting artists like Matt Willis, the Sugababes, The Who, and Madness. In December 2007, Barks represented the Isle of Man in the Maltese International Song Competition, where she won the main prize of 2.00 K EUR and the title of Best Foreign Singer, performing "Nothing Else" from her album and "Play On".

In 2008, Barks competed in the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything, a search for a new lead to play Nancy in a West End revival of the musical Oliver!. She reached the final, ultimately finishing third. During the competition on 29 April 2008, in a show of support, Tourism Minister Adrian Earnshaw temporarily renamed the Isle of Man to the "Isle of Sam", changing welcoming signs at Ronaldsway Airport and Douglas Sea Terminal. In week eight, Barks performed "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, receiving support from American actress Idina Menzel, who originated the role of Elphaba. In the semi-final, after receiving the lowest public votes, she competed in a sing-off with Rachel Tucker, performing "Memory" from Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save Barks, citing her suitability for the role of Nancy. In the lead-up to the final, Barks and other finalists participated in a "Master Class" with Liza Minnelli in London and posed for publicity pictures recreating iconic Madonna images. Barks finished third in the final, expressing that it had been "the most amazing experience of my life."

In June 2008, Barks sang the Isle of Man National Anthem "O Land Of Our Birth" to commence the races on Senior Race day of the Isle of Man TT. She then took on the lead role of Sally Bowles in the UK tour of Cabaret, performing from 29 August 2008 to 11 July 2009. During this period, she also performed at the Theatregoers Choice Awards in February 2009 alongside her I'd Do Anything cast-mates Sarah Lark and Jodie Prenger. To thank her supporters, Barks held her own concert, An Audience with Sam Barks, at the Villa Marina on the Isle of Man on 3 January 2009.

Barks participated in several public engagements in 2009, including launching the new Manx Ship, the Caly Manx, in Shanghai, China on 30 September, switching on the Christmas Lights in Windsor's town centre on 21 November with Wendy Craig and Jess Conrad, and officially launching BreastHealth UK's new clinic at the Spire Thames Valley Hospital in Wexham on 27 November. She also played the title role in Aladdin during the Christmas Pantomime Season 2009/10 at the Theatre Royal, Windsor.

From 21 June 2010 to 18 June 2011, Barks starred as Éponine in the London production of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre. Her performance led Cameron Mackintosh to select her for the role of Éponine in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena on 3 October 2010.

In 2010, Barks resumed her music career with the release of "Let Go", a song she co-wrote with Garry Lake. The single was officially released in 2011 through the independent label Flour Records and promoted with a live performance on SB.TV. She performed "Let Go" at the Dress Circle Benefit Gala on 7 August 2011 at Her Majesty's Theatre, and the song was later included on the tribute compilation album Standing Ovation: A CD Tribute to Dress Circle.

Barks began 2011 with a starring role in the concert Direct From the West End, which featured songs from popular West End musicals and was performed in York, Oxford, and Windsor. She also performed in "The Songs of Bobby Cronin" concert on 27 February 2011 at the New Players Theatre and Stars of the West End Sing the Songs of Steven Luke Walker on 20 March at Charing Cross Theatre. On 12 May 2011, Barks performed "On My Own" at the Classical Brits 2011 at The Royal Albert Hall. She performed works by British composer/lyricists Laurence Mark Wythe, Grant Olding, Dougal Irvine and Tim Sutton at the Battersea Barge in London on 21 August 2011, alongside fellow West End stars Stephen Ashfield, Annalene Beechey, and George Ure. On 8 October 2011, Barks performed the Grand Final anthem "Jerusalem" for the Engage Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

Barks starred as Zoe Myer, opposite Jonathan Bailey's character Tom, in the Disney Channel television series Groove High, a mix of live-action and animation. The series premiered on the Disney Channel UK on 10 November 2012, with its first season comprising 26 episodes and sold to broadcasters worldwide. Barks recorded her voice for the series in April 2010, and live-action filming was completed in Ireland in October 2011. She described her character Zoe as "really sweet, but also a little feisty, she tells it like it is and doesn't take any rubbish from anybody."

From 10 December 2011 to 1 April 2012, Barks starred as Nancy in the UK tour of Oliver!. She temporarily left the tour on 1 April to film Les Misérables and was replaced by Cat Simmons.

2.2. "Les Misérables" and Wider Recognition (2012-2014)

Barks reprised her role as Éponine for her film debut in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables. She famously learned she had secured the role from Cameron Mackintosh during an Oliver! curtain call. Barks was chosen for the role over many prominent actresses who auditioned, including Taylor Swift, Lea Michele, and Scarlett Johansson. During the filming, Barks recorded the song "Defective" for the album Scott Alan Live, released in December 2012. After completing Les Misérables, Barks returned to the UK tour of Oliver! for two weeks at the Edinburgh Playhouse in June 2012. On 24 June 2012, she performed in a Little Women charity concert at the Playhouse Theatre in London.

In October and December 2012, Barks performed at Indoor Garden Party concerts in New York City, a series created by Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle. She briefly returned to the Oliver! UK tour in early November 2012 at the Grand Theatre, Leeds, and then permanently from 12 December at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Ireland until 20 February 2013 at the Bristol Hippodrome. She left the show early to attend rehearsals in Los Angeles for the Les Misérables cast performance at the Oscars. Her rendition of "On My Own" from Les Misérables achieved significant chart success, reaching number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 43 in the UK, marking her first entry on both charts.

On 11 February 2013, Barks won Best Breakthrough Performance at the Elle Style Awards. She performed with her co-stars from Les Misérables at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony on 24 February 2013. Immediately after the Oscars, Barks flew to the Isle of Man to begin work on her second film, The Christmas Candle. In March 2013, Barks participated in the ITV television special Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years, where she performed "Another Suitcase in Another Hall" in tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber. In June 2013, Barks performed at The Recording Academy Honors and took part in the one-night-only 24 Hour Plays at the Broad Stage Theater in Santa Monica, California.

Barks played the role of Velma Kelly in the 2013 production of Chicago at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2013. In late 2013, she starred as the romantic lead Natalka in Bitter Harvest, a film released in 2017, co-starring Max Irons and Barry Pepper. In October 2013, Barks played Jules in a private workshop production of a potential musical adaptation of Bend It Like Beckham.

Barks had a role in Dracula Untold, released on 10 October 2014, where she portrayed Baba Yaga, an angelic woman who transforms into an evil witch; however, her scenes were ultimately cut from the film. In 2014, Barks was cast in the ensemble drama A Hundred Streets and announced her return to West End theatre in the revival of City of Angels, directed by Josie Rourke.

2.3. Broadway Debut and West End Return (2015-Present)

In July 2015, Barks began rehearsals for the world premiere of Amélie, A New Musical at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California. The show opened on 29 August and its run was extended until 18 October. In January 2016, it was announced that Barks was cast in the movie musical Strike!. In February 2016, she was also announced to star in the drama Interlude in Prague.

In 2016, Barks reunited with her Groove High co-star Jonathan Bailey as the leads in the Off-West End production of The Last Five Years at St. James Theatre, running from 27 October to 3 December. She collaborated again with director Jason Robert Brown for a one-off concert of his musical, Honeymoon in Vegas, at the London Palladium on 12 March 2017, starring alongside Arthur Darvill.

Barks has continued her music career, performing at various venues across the UK following the release of her self-titled album on 10 June 2016. She launched her first solo tour to promote and perform songs from the album at 13 venues. On 20 May 2017, she performed live in concert at Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, with guest singer Kerry Ellis. Barks made her American solo concert debut with four dates at Feinstein's/54 Below in New York City in July 2017.

In September 2017, it was announced that Barks would play the role of Vivian Ward (originated by Julia Roberts in the film) in the stage musical Pretty Woman. The musical premiered at Chicago's Oriental Theatre in March 2018, before transferring to Broadway in July 2018 at the Nederlander Theatre. Pretty Woman marked her Broadway debut.

On 5 December 2019, Barks was cast as Elsa in the West End production of Frozen, a role she began in August 2021 and continued until 2024. In March and April 2022, Barks spent several weeks presenting the Elaine Paige on Sunday radio show on BBC Radio 2. In December 2022, it was announced that Barks would perform a solo concert at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in May 2023, featuring special guests Orfeh, Bradley Jaden, and The Overtones. In May 2023, Barks was announced as a judge on the upcoming ITV competition show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, alongside Alan Carr, Jessie Ware, and Amber Riley. The show aims to find two musical theatre performers to play Sophie and Sky in Mamma Mia! in London's West End for its 25th anniversary. In 2025, Barks participated in and won the sixth series of The Masked Singer (British TV series) as "Pufferfish".

3.1. Film

3.2. Television