Samuel was born in Hamilton, Victoria, the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel.[5] He grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, and graduated from Rostrevor College in 2001 where he boarded.[6][7] When Samuel was 13, his family spent a year in Darwin 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 at Christian Brothers College, where he played the part of Tom Snout (the wall) in Rostrevor College's production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as playing Belvile in CBC's production of Aphra Behn's The Rover (The Banished Cavaliers).[6]
Samuel later attended Flinders University Drama Centre and graduated in 2006.[10]
Career
Samuel made his debut on the Australian TV show McLeod's Daughters in 2003. He starred in the Australian horror movie Road Train as Marcus, and also acted in the Australian movie Drowning with Elephant Princess star Miles Szanto, directed by Craig Boreham.[11]
Alongside Mia Wasikowska, Samuel was in 2007 the Australian film September, set in 1968 where two young boys who share a passion for boxing are friends.[12]
In 2008, Samuel starred in the Australian surfing movie Newcastle, opposite Reshad Strik.
In 2009, Samuel was cast as Brent in the Australian horror/thriller movie The Loved Ones in the lead role opposite Robin McLeavy.
In early 2010, Samuel was cast as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film was Samuel's first high-profile film. Samuel was nominated for, and won, his first film award at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. In an interview with GQ Australia[1] in November 2010, Samuel described the process of his Twilight 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]
Eventually forming a relationship with co-star Phoebe Tonkin, Samuel was cast in 3D feature Bait, released in September 2012.[15][16]
In 2013 he played Ian in Adore beside Robin Wright and Naomi Watts, which is based on Doris Lessing's book and directed by Anne 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 in Seal Rocks in New South Wales and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival under its original name of Two Mothers.[7][18]
Alongside Hugo Weaving and an owl, Samuel was cast in the movie Healing 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]
Samuel at the Twilight: Eclipse premier in London in 2010
