Samantha Béart | |
|---|---|
 Béart in September 2023 | |
| Born | 22 September 1984 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Samantha Béart is an English actor best known for voicing Thomasina Bateman in The Excavation of Hob's Barrow and Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3.[1][2]
Career
editIn 2005, Béart played Arthur Dent’s daughter, Random Dent, in BBC Radio 4’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Quintessential Phase.[3][4][5] Since then, they have starred in numerous audio dramas and video games.
In 2020, they played various roles, including Calliope and Judy Talbot, in an audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, produced by Audible Studios.[2][6] They also starred as Rogue in The Solitaire Conspiracy, developed by Mike Bithell Games, and as the Player Character in the Demon’s Souls remake, developed by SIE Japan Studio and Bluepoint Games.[2][7][8]
In 2022, they played Thomasina Bateman in The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, for which they were longlisted for a BAFTA Games Award in the “Performer in a Leading Role” category.[2] They subsequently applied for and received a BAFTA Breakthrough Award.[4]
In 2023, they played Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios.[2][9] The game was considered a great commercial success and their performance as Karlach led to another BAFTA nomination, again for the “Performer in a Leading Role” category.[10][11] Béart reprised their role as Karlach in various Dungeons & Dragons actual play shows, including a one-shot with Mark Hulmes of High Rollers and “Love is a Legendary Action,” a live 50th-anniversary one-shot performed at Gen Con in 2024.[12][13]
Personal Life
editBéart attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after receiving invitations from various acting schools but struggled to find roles after graduating due in part to their mixed-race heritage.[14] Speaking about this time, Béart, who is of mixed Irish and Jamaican descent, said that casting directors claimed that they “didn’t look British” and suggested that they “pass for ethnicities that [weren’t their] own because [they] didn’t look Jamaican-Irish.” Difficulty landing theatrical and on-screen roles eventually led them to pursue roles in audio dramas.[15]
Béart is nonbinary and uses she/they pronouns.[14] They partially credit their role as Orr, a nonbinary character in Big Finish’s Torchwood who uses they/them pronouns, for helping them come to this realization.[15]
Filmography
editAudio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Quintessential Phase | Random Dent | Radio Drama | [3][4] |
| 2013 | Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures | Marinka Talanov | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2015 | Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles | Jance | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2015 | Doctor Who: The Novel Adaptations | Mrs. Prendersly, Azathoth | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2015 | The Confessions of Dorian Gray | Catherine | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2015-2018 | Vienna | Lieutenant Jexie Reagan, Tina Taulis, Medical Robot | Podcast Series, 7 episodes | [2] |
| 2017 | Alien: River of Pain | Pvt Nguyen, Tressa | Podcast Series | [2] |
| 2017 | Doctor Who: The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield | Chamu | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2017-2023 | Torchwood: The Story Continues | Orr, Catrin Perry | Podcast Series, 24 episodes | [2] |
| 2018 | The War Master | Marine King | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2020 | The Lives of Captain Jack | Passenger | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
| 2020 | The Sandman | Calliope, Judy Talbot, various voices | Audio Drama, 20 episodes | [2] |
| 2020 | Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious | Security Guard | Podcast Series, 2 episodes | [2] |
| 2021 | The Lone Centurion | Anna | Podcast Series, 1 episode | [2] |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Shooting Shona | Shona | As a different name | [2] |
| 2005 | TrashHouse | Della | As a different name | [2] |
| 2010 | The Symmetry of Love | Beauty salon staff | [2] | |
| 2010 | A Mechanical Heart | Maud Wyse | Short | [2] |
| 2016 | Salmon | Nat | Short | [2] |
Video Games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Age of Wonders III | Sundren | [2] | |
| 2016 | Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet | The Baroness, Hetty Lowman, various voices | [2] | |
| 2020 | Total War Saga: Troy | Amazons, Sirens, Harpies | [2] | |
| 2020 | The Solitaire Conspiracy | Rogue | [2] | |
| 2020 | Demon's Souls | Player Character | [2] | |
| 2021 | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles | Gina Lestrade, Mrs. Evie Virgil, Skilled Maid | [2] | |
| 2022 | The Excavation of Hob's Barrow | Thomasina Bateman | Longlisted for a BAFTA award | [2][4] |
| 2023 | Ravenbound | Ancient Earth, Bandit Ulver | [2] | |
| 2023 | Baldur's Gate 3 | Karlach | Nominated for a BAFTA award | [2][11] |
Web
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | High Rollers Presents: Baldur's Gate 3 Cast Play D&D | Karlach | [12] | |
| 2023 | Love is a Legendary Action | Karlach | Filmed live | [13] |
References
edit- ^ Samantha Béart at Library of Congress
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "Samantha Béart". IMDb. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Samantha Béart Bio". IMDb. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Samantha Béart - Performer". BAFTA. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases". BBC. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Audible - The Sandman". Audible. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "The Solitaire Conspiracy". MobyGames. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Demon's Souls". MobyGames. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Baldur's Gate III". MobyGames. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Bolding, Jonathan (5 August 2023). "Baldur's Gate 3 enters top 10 all-time peak Steam games, knocking Apex Legends out". PC Gamer. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b "20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Winners & Nominations". BAFTA. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Crider, Michael (19 September 2023). "The cast of Baldur's Gate 3 will play D&D for real, and you can watch". PC World. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Melzer, Jenny (5 August 2024). "Dungeons & Dragons Live! At Gen Con: Love Is A Legendary Action". CBR. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Tannehill, Brynn (24 December 2024). "Non-binary actor Samantha Béart on Baldur's Gate 3 & more". Los Angeles Blade. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Hart, Aimee (11 December 2022). "Samantha Béart on acting, being non-binary, and becoming Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3". Gayming Mag. Retrieved 21 August 2024.