Samuel Barnett

Highest Rated: 89% The Lady in the Van (2015)

Lowest Rated: 17% Love Tomorrow (2012)

Birthday: Apr 25, 1980

Birthplace: Whitby, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Born in small town Whitby, England in 1980, Samuel Barnett never expected to make a career as an actor, but he decided to follow his dreams and enroll in The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Upon graduation, Barnett appeared in a few guest spots on television, but spent much of his time on stage. One of his first significant roles was in Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre production of "His Dark Materials" in 2003. This led to his breakout role, as Posner in the original production of Alan Bennett's "The History Boys," also directed by Hytner in London in 2004. For the next few years, "The History Boys" dominated Barnett's time, as he played the role in London, Sydney, Hong Kong, and New York, where he was nominated for a Tony Award. Barnett also starred in the 2006 feature film adaptation of the play, again directed by Hytner. The success led to a flurry of work in film and television with roles in the HBO miniseries "John Adams" (HBO, 2006), the feature "Bright Star" (2009), and his first lead role in a series, as artist John Everett Millais in "Desperate Romantics" (BBC Two, 2009). It was announced that Barnett would play the title role in the series adaptation of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency set for debut in 2016 on BBC America.