Name	Samantha Barks
Height
Naionality	Manx
Date of Birth	2-October-1990
Place of Birth	Laxey, Isle of Man
Famous for	Acting

Samantha Barks is a Manx singer and actress who first rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show–themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. In 2012, she made her film debut as Eponine in the film version of the long-running musical Les Miserables.

In April 2007, Barks released her debut album, Looking in Your Eyes, which sold around 600 copies. The album featured several songs which she co-wrote herself and was released on the independent label Brunswick Studios. She also performed at the Peel Bay Festival in June 2007 supporting Matt Willis and the Sugababes, which also saw appearances by Madness and The Who. In December 2007, Barks represented the Isle of Man in the Maltese International Song Competition where she won the main prize of €2000 and the title of Best Foreign Singer. She sang the song "Nothing Else" from her album and "Play On", a hit song in Malta.

In 2008, Barks competed in I'd Do Anything in which she was one of the finalists in a search for a new, unknown lead to play Nancy in a West End revival of the British musical Oliver!. She reached the final where she finished third. On 29 April 2008, the Isle of Man was renamed by the Tourism Minister Adrian Earnshaw to be the "Isle of Sam" as a sign of support. Welcoming signs at Ronaldsway Airport and Douglas Sea Terminal were changed after a renaming ceremony. In week eight of the show, she performed "Defying Gravity" from the musical Wicked and in the week leading up to the show she was given support from American actress, Idina Menzel, who achieved fame for her performances as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked.