Anna Samson

Anna May Samson (born 23 November 1989) is a British-born Australian actress who has performed extensively in theatre, film and television. Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, Samson has appeared in numerous theatre productions. Her theatre credits include Bliss for Belvoir and Malthouse Theatre; The Master and Margarita for Belvoir; Skylight, Birdland, The Sublime and The Heretic for Melbourne Theatre Company; Pompeii L.A at Malthouse Theatre; LOVE for Darlinghurst Theatre; Anatomy of a Suicide for The Old Fitz and Seymour Centre; Consent at the Seymour Centre; A Hotel, Evening, Ruben Guthrie and Wet House for Red Stitch; Arden V Arden for The Hayloft Project; and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for Theatre Works. On screen Anna made her television debut in the 2012 miniseries Conspiracy 365, and has gone on to appear in various dramas, including Jack Irish. She also received a Helpmann Award nomination for her role in Birdland. Samson starred in feature film What If It Works?, SBS drama Dead Lucky, and miniseries Wake in Fright as Michaela "Mick" Jaffries. From 2021 until 2022, she played Mia Anderson in the soap opera Home and Away. She will portray DI Mackenzie Clarke in the upcoming Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise.

Early life
Samson was born in England, but she spent her early years living in Nigeria. Her family later relocated to Sydney, Australia. Samson attended the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, and graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2010. During her time at the VCA, Samson received the John Tallis Award for Excellence. She then joined the Red Stitch Actors Theatre and appeared in productions of Ruben Guthrie and Day One, A Hotel, Evening. Roles in The Heretic for the Melbourne Theatre Company and After All This for the Elbow Room followed.

Career
Samson has appeared in numerous theatre productions, including Alice Dreaming, Innocence – The Life and Death of Caravaggio, Gulf War, Ghetto and O'Horo – The Dance of Death. Samson co-devised and performed the 2009 play Womb Division. She made her television debut in the 2012 series Conspiracy 365. She has had supporting roles in television dramas Jack Irish, Winners & Losers, and Halifax: Retribution.

In 2016, Samson appeared in Trudy Hellier and Maria Theodorakis's Australian webseries Little Acorns, a comedy set in a childcare centre. Samson made her feature film debut in Andrew O'Keefe's Crime & Punishment, an adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel of the same name. She also starred in the horror short Tanglewood, which was shown at Monster Fest. 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.

Samson stars alongside Luke Ford in the 2017 film What If It Works? from writer-director Romi Trower, for which she received an Ozflicks Independent Film Award for Actress in a Leading Role. Samson plays Grace, an artist who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. The film premiered at the Cinequest Film and VR Festival. That same year, Samson appeared in an episode of The Leftovers, and the four-part SBS drama series Dead Lucky. She also starred in the two-part miniseries Wake in Fright as Michaela "Mick" Jaffries. 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. To prepare for the part, Samson watched MMA fights, lifted weights and took up boxing. In 2018, Samson starred in the indie romance film 36 Questions alongside James Mason. She also appeared in the 2020 remake of Children of the Corn.

Samson joined the main cast of Australian soap opera Home and Away as Mia Anderson in February 2021. 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). 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. Just over a year later, Samson departed the serial in April 2022. She then starred as Margarita in Eamon Flack's 2023 production of The Master and Margarita at the Belvoir St Theatre.

Anna has received numerous award nominations including a Green Room Award for Best Female Actor for Wet House and a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Performance in a Leading Role in an Independent Production for Consent. Anna also received a Glug Award nomination for LOVE. Anna is a previous Australian Counsel for the Arts grant recipient and is currently a Masters student at The University of Sydney.

In April 2024, the BBC confirmed Samson would be playing DI Mackenzie Clarke in the Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise. 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.

Personal life
Anna was subpoenaed to give evidence in the defamation proceedings brought by Craig McLachlan against the ABC and Christie Whelan-Browne, as a result of an incident which occurred on set while she was shooting an episode of the Doctor Blake Mysteries. Mr McLachlan discontinued the proceedings before Anna was called to give evidence.

Filmography

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