Anna May Samson (born 23 November 1989) is a British-born Australian actress of stage and screen. Since graduating from the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

, Samson has appeared in numerous theatre productions, receiving a Helpmann Award nomination for her role in ''Birdland'' in 2016. She made her television debut in the 2012 miniseries ''

Conspiracy 365 ''Conspiracy 365'' is a 12-part Australian television miniseries based on the novels written by Gabrielle Lord. Produced by Circa Media for Family Movie Channel, the series screened from January 2012. It also began screening on ABC3 in Januar ...

'', and went on to appear in various TV drama series, including ''

Jack Irish ''Jack Irish'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on ABC TV on 14 October 2012. The series stars Guy Pearce as the title character, a former criminal lawyer turned investigator and debt collector. Much of the action is ...

'' and '' Winners & Losers''. In 2016, Samson made her feature film debut in ''Crime & Punishment''. The following year, she starred in feature film ''What If It Works?'', SBS drama '' Dead Lucky'', and the miniseries '' Wake in Fright''. From 2021 to 2022, she played Mia Anderson in the soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip to Kangaroo Point, N ...

''. She portrays DI Mackenzie Clarke in the 2024 '' Death in Paradise'' spin-off '' Return to Paradise''.

Early life and education

Anna May Samson was born on 23 November 1989 in England, but spent her early years living in Nigeria. Her family later relocated to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia. Samson attended the

Newtown High School of the Performing Arts The Newtown High School of the Performing Arts is a government-funded co-educational comprehensive and specialist secondary day school in the suburb of Newtown in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is among a few performing arts and vis ...

, and graduated from the

(VCA) in 2010. During her time at the VCA, Samson received the John Tallis Award for Excellence.

Career

Samson joined the

Red Stitch Actors Theatre Red Stitch Actors Theatre is an ensemble theatre company based in Melbourne, Australia. Established in 2001 and with its first season in 2002, Red Stitch has presented over 100 contemporary plays. These include works from international playwri ...

and appeared in productions of ''Ruben Guthrie'' and ''Day One, A Hotel, Evening''. Roles in '' The Heretic'' for the

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

and ''After All This'' for the Elbow Room followed. Other appearances in theatre productions include ''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 ''

''. She had supporting roles in television dramas ''

'', '' 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 Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influenti ...

's novel of the same name. She also starred in the horror short ''Tanglewood'', which was shown at Monster Fest. Samson stars alongside

Luke Ford Luke Ford (born 26 March 1981) is a Canadian-Australian actor. His career began in television in 2000 and his first film role was in 2006 before being cast in '' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' in 2008. Ford's regular television roles ...

in the 2017 film ''What If It Works?'' from writer-director Romi Trower. 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 James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

. She appeared in the 2020 remake of '' Children of the Corn''. Samson joined the main cast of Australian soap opera ''

'' 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 Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre comprises two performing spaces: the Upstairs Theatre and the small ...

. 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 The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...

. 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. On 17 April 2025, Samson would return to the role as the series would enter production for season two.

Personal life

Following her appearance in an episode of '' The Doctor Blake Mysteries'', Samson, along with actress Tamzen Hayes, accused lead actor

Craig McLachlan Craig Dougall McLachlan (born 1 September 1965) is an Australian actor, musician, singer and composer. He has been involved in film, television, the music industry and music theatre for over 30 years. He is best known for appearing in the soap o ...

of sexual harassment on the set. Samson alleged that McLachlan touched her buttock during their scenes together, making her forget her lines.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations

For her role in

Simon Stephens Simon Stephens (born 6 February 1971) is a British-Irish playwright, musician and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is ...

' play ''Birdland'', Samson was nominated for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play at the 16th Helpmann Awards in 2016. On 16 June 2025, Samson was named as a nominee for Best Lead Actress for her role in ''Return to Paradise'' for the 2025 Logie Awards.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samson, Anna Living people 1989 births Actresses from Sydney British actresses 21st-century Australian actresses 21st-century British actresses British emigrants to Australia Australian film actresses British film actresses Australian soap opera actresses British soap opera actresses Australian television actresses British television actresses Australian stage actresses British stage actresses