Samantha Barks

Samantha Jane Barks is a Manx actress and singer who gained recognition after finishing 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 earned her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast. Furthermore, Barks starred with Jonathan Bailey in the Disney Channel musical-comedy Groove High (2012–2013), and in the London revival of the musical The Last Five Years in 2016. She is also known for originating the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman: The Musical on Broadway in 2018. Since 2021, she has played Elsa in the West End production of Frozen, albeit taking some time off for maternity leave. Barks was born and raised in Laxey on the Isle of Man, and moved to London at sixteen to complete her A levels at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in Chiswick. She has been professionally active since 2007.