Xavier Samuel is an Australian actor whose work spans Australian and international film, television, and theatre. He became internationally known as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and has also received recognition for performances in The Loved Ones, A Few Best Men, Fury, Frankenstein, and television dramas.
Background
Xavier Samuel was born on December 10, 1983, in Hamilton, Victoria, to Maree and Clifford Samuel. He grew up mainly in Adelaide, South Australia, and graduated from Rostrevor College in 2001. His younger brother, Benedict Samuel, became a writer, producer, and actor, while his older sister, Bridget, became a stage manager.
Samuel's early interests included Australian rules football, and he has supported the Adelaide Football Club. During his senior secondary years he undertook drama studies at Christian Brothers College, where he performed in productions of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Aphra Behn's The Rover.
Education
Samuel completed his senior secondary education at Rostrevor College, graduating in 2001. The Adelaide school, founded in the nineteenth century, has a long tradition of Catholic secondary education and boarding. He also undertook final-year drama at Christian Brothers College, an Adelaide school associated with the Christian Brothers educational tradition.
He studied at the Flinders University Drama Centre and graduated from Flinders University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Creative Arts with Honours. Flinders University, established in Adelaide in 1966, developed a strong creative-arts and drama program through which students combined performance training with broader academic study.
Career
Samuel began his screen career with an appearance on the Australian television series McLeod's Daughters in 2003. His early film work included 2:37, September, Newcastle, Further We Search, Drowning, and The Loved Ones. The Loved Ones, in which he played Brent, established him in a leading role in Australian horror cinema.
In 2010 he played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. The film gave him an international breakthrough and brought him a wider audience beyond Australian independent cinema. He subsequently appeared in Anonymous, A Few Best Men, Bait, Adore, Drift, and Plush.
His later film work included Healing, Fury, Frankenstein, Love & Friendship, Spin Out, The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, A Few Less Men, Riot, Elvis, and Blonde. His television work has included Seven Types of Ambiguity, Tell Me Your Secrets, The Clearing, and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Samuel has also maintained a connection with theatre. He played Hamlet in a Flinders University graduate production and appeared in State Theatre Company of South Australia's productions, including The Seagull at the 2014 Adelaide Festival. His career has consequently moved between screen acting, independent Australian productions, international films, television drama, and stage performance.
Achievements
Samuel's performance as Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse brought him international recognition and expanded his career from Australian independent films into major international cinema.
He developed a career spanning film, television, and theatre, including leading performances in Australian productions and appearances in internationally distributed films such as Fury, Elvis, and Blonde.
(Australian television drama in which Samuel appeared as p...)
2018
TV series
McLeod's Daughters
(Australian television series in which Samuel made an earl...)
2003
The Clearing
(Australian television thriller series in which Samuel pla...)
2023
Seven Types of Ambiguity
(Australian television drama series in which Samuel played...)
2017
Tell Me Your Secrets
(Television thriller series in which Samuel played Kit Par...)
2021
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
(Television drama miniseries in which Samuel appeared as M...)
2023
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
The writer Peter Goldsworthy described Samuel's performance as Hamlet as remarkable and among the best interpretations of the role he had seen.
Interests
Sport & Clubs
Australian rules football; he supports the Adelaide Football Club.
Athletes
Tony Modra
Connections
Samuel is the son of Maree and Clifford Samuel. His younger brother, Benedict Samuel, is a writer, producer, and actor, and his older sister, Bridget, works as a stage manager.
