Xavier Samuel is an Australian actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films September, Further We Search, and Newcastle

Newcastle (film)

Newcastle is a 2008 Australian drama film set in the New South Wales city of Newcastle.-Plot:Young surfer Jesse has always been in the shadow of his older brother Victor, who tried to become a champion surfer and failed...

, and played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third movie in Stephenie Meyer's

Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...

 The Twilight Saga

The Twilight Saga (film series)

The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...

film series.

Early life and education

Samuel was born in Hamilton, Victoria

Hamilton, Victoria

Hamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...

, the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel. He grew up in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, South Australia and graduated from Rostrevor College

Rostrevor College

Rostrevor College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school for boys', located in Woodforde, a suburb 15 minutes from the CBD of Adelaide, South Australia....

 in 2001. Xavier has younger brother, Benedict Samuel, who is a writer, producer and actor. He also has an older sister Bridget Samuel who is a stage manager.

Despite completing his senior secondary years at Rostrevor College, Samuel undertook final year drama at Christian Brothers College

Christian Brothers College

Christian Brothers College can refer to one of several schools:* Christian Brothers College, Adelaide* Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo* Christian Brothers College, Burwood* Christian Brothers College, Cork* Christian Brothers College, Monkstown Park...

 under the tutelage of Amanda Portus. During the same year, he played the part of Tom Snout (the wall) in Rostrevor College’s production of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

’s A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...

as well as playing the part of Belvile in CBC’s production of Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers. Her writing contributed to the amatory fiction genre of British literature.-Early life:...

’s The Rover

The Rover

The Rover may refer to:*The Rover by Joseph Conrad*The Rover by Aphra Behn*The Rover by Terence Young*"The Rover" by Led Zeppelin*"The Irish Rover", a traditional Irish song...

(The Banished Cavaliers).

Samuel attended Flinders University Drama Centre in 2005 where he studied under renowned acting teacher Professor Julie Holledge. He played Hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 in the graduate production.

Acting debut and international breakthrough

Samuel made his debut on an Australian TV show named McLeod's Daughters

McLeod's Daughters

McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...

in 2003. He starred in the Australian horror movie Road Train

Road train

A road train or roadtrain is a trucking concept used in remote areas of Argentina, Australia, Mexico, the United States and Canada to move freight efficiently. The term "road train" is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms "triples," "turnpike doubles" and "Rocky Mountain...

as Marcus and also acted in the Australian movie Drowning

Drowning

Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....

with Elephant Princess star Miles Szanto, directed by Craig Boreham

Craig Boreham

-Career:To date, Boreham has focussed his attention on short film works that explore issues of marginalised sexuality and the politics of desire. Craig Boreham graduated from both the University of Technology Sydney and the Australian Film Television and Radio School , and his films have screened...

. In 2009, he was cast as Brent in the Australian comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

/thriller movie The Loved Ones

The Loved Ones

The Loved Ones were an Australian rock band formed in 1965 in Melbourne following the British Invasion. The line-up of Gavin Anderson on drums, Ian Clyne on organ and piano, Gerry Humphrys on vocals and harmonica, Rob Lovett on guitar, and Kim Lynch on bass guitar recorded their early hits...

in the lead role opposite Robin McLeavy

Robin McLeavy

Robin McLeavy is an actress from Sydney, Australia and NIDA graduate.- Career :Robin graduated from NIDA in 2004. Robin starred as Lola Stone in the critically acclaimed Australian horror The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne...

. Although it received several award nominations, the film was a financial failure.

In early 2010, Samuel was cast as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film gave Samuel his first blockbuster film worldwide. Samuel received his first award nomination and win at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards

2011 MTV Movie Awards

The 2011 MTV Movie Awards were held on June 5, 2011 at the Gibson Amphitheatre and were hosted by Jason Sudeikis.On May 3, the nominees were announced...

. Samuel appeared in the 2011 film Anonymous

Anonymous (film)

Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...

.

Samuel is currently in production of three films - Bait, Sanctuary and A Few Best Men. He plays a lead role in A Few Best Men.

Personal life

Samuel follows Australian Rules Football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 and is a supporter of the Adelaide Crows

Adelaide Crows

The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....

 in the AFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

. Since 2010 he has been dating Miss Europe

Miss Europe

Miss Europe is a popular regional beauty pageant among female contestants from the nations of the European continent established in 1928 and re-established at the end of World War II by Roger Zeiler of the French Committee of Elegance and Claude Berr...

 2005 titleholder, Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian-born model, Shermine Shahrivar

Shermine Shahrivar

Shermine Shahrivar is a German model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Europe 2005.-Biography:...

.

Theatre

Year	Play	Role	Notes
2006	Two Weeks with the Queen Two Weeks with the Queen Two Weeks With The Queen is a 1990 novel by an Australian author Morris Gleitzman about a 12-year-old Australian boy, Colin MudfordMain characters:ColinTedAlistair- Notability :...	Colin	Windmill Performing Arts Windmill Performing Arts Windmill Performing Arts established in 2002 as a South Australian Government initiative is Australia's flagship professional theatre company for child and young adult audiences. The current artistic director is Rosemary Myers.Since 2002, it has grown into a leading national company...
	Osama the Hero Osama the Hero Osama the Hero by Dennis Kelly was first staged at the Hampstead Theatre in London in 2005. The provocative title ensured that there were police on the doors when it opened even though Kelly has since said "I was a little worried about the title. But, once I'd had the idea of calling it that, it...	Unknown	The Old Fitzroy Theatre
2007	Mercury Fur Mercury Fur Mercury Fur is the fifth adult stage play by Philip Ridley and his most controversial to date. It was premiered at the Plymouth Theatre Royal, transferring to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, in 2005....	Unknown	Griffin Theatre

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...	Jason	TV episode
2006	2:37 2:37 2:37 is a 2006 Australian drama film, written, produced, and directed by filmmaker Murali K. Thalluri and starring an ensemble cast including Teresa Palmer, Joel Mackenzie, Frank Sweet, Charles Baird, Sam Harris, Marni Spillane and Clementine Mellor. 2:37 was filmed in Adelaide, Australia on...	Theo	Feature film
	Angela's Decision	Will Turner	Feature film
2007	September	Ed Anderson	Feature film
2008	Newcastle Newcastle (film) Newcastle is a 2008 Australian drama film set in the New South Wales city of Newcastle.-Plot:Young surfer Jesse has always been in the shadow of his older brother Victor, who tried to become a champion surfer and failed...	Fergus	Feature film
	Dream Life	Boyd	TV film
2009	Drowning	Dan	Short film
	The Loved Ones The Loved Ones (film) The Loved Ones is a 2009 Australian horror film written and directed by Sean Byrne and starring Xavier Samuel and Robin McLeavy.-Plot:After high schooler Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father, he escapes into a grief-filled world of guilt...	Brent	Feature film
2010	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Riley Biers	Feature film Won - MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...  and Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years... ) Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated - Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...  for Choice Movie Male Breakout Nominated - Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards The Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is an annual awards show which awards entertainers with a blimp trophy, as voted by kids. The show is usually held during October or November and a televised show is produced, touted as the biggest party for kids on the planet.-Host Cities:* 2003 -...  for Favorite Movie Star Nominated - Scream Awards Scream Awards The Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films. Originally only having Scream Queen and Heroic Performance awards for actors, the personnel awards have expanded to include actors and actresses of all three recognized genres. In addition,...  for Best Breakthrough Preformance Male
	Road Train Road Train (film) Road Train is an Australian horror film, known as Road Kill in the U.S., directed by Dean Francis and written by Clive Hopkins. It stars Xavier Samuel, Bob Morley, Georgina Haig and Sophie Lowe.- Plot :... (a.k.a. Road Kill)	Marcus	Feature film
2011	Anonymous Anonymous (film) Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...	Henry Wriothesley Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley , 3rd Earl of Southampton , was the second son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, and his wife Mary Browne, Countess of Southampton, daughter of the 1st Viscount Montagu...	Feature film
	Bait 3D	N/A	Feature film
	Sanctuary Sanctuary (short film) Sanctuary is an upcoming re-mixable science fiction film which became the first production to sign professional union actors to Creative Commons licensing terms. It is in VFX post production as of March 2007. Every production asset, including principal photography shot on 35mm film and digitised,...	Brother	Short film
	A Few Best Men A Few Best Men A Few Best Men is an upcoming 2011 Australian comedy film written by Dean Craig and directed by Stephan Elliott. The film stars Xavier Samuel as a young groom heading to the Australian outback with his three best men for his wedding.-Plot:...	David	Feature film
2012	Drift	Jimmy Fisher	Feature Film

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2011	MTV Movie Awards MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...	"Best Fight"	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (with Robert Pattinson Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor, model, musician, and producer. Born and raised in London, Pattinson started out his career by playing the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...  and Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard is an American film actress and daughter of director Ron Howard. She made her acting debut in her father's 1989 movie Parenthood and went on to have small roles in films and make stage appearances for the next several years... )
		"Best Breakout Star"	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

External links