Samuel George Claflin, better known by his screen name Sam Claflin, is an English TV and film actor who is best remembered for portraying the role of Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games film series, and Philip Swift in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. After making his acting debut in the TV industry, Claflin made his debut on the silver screen with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).
Early Life
Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, Sam Claflin is the son of Mark Claflin, a finance officer and Sue Claflin, a classroom assistant. The actor along with his two elder brothers, Benjamin and Daniel and a younger brother named Joseph had a humble upbringing. Claflin had a keen interest in football from an early age and he played football in school until he injured his ankle, which prevented him from playing professionally. After much persuasion from his parents and his teacher at the Costessey High School, he considered acting as a profession. In 2003, he started with performing arts at the Norwich City College and later attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art where he completed his graduation in 2009.
Personal Life
Sam Claflin started dating actress Laura Haddock in 2011 and after dating for almost two years, the duo tied the knot in July 2013 in a hush-hush ceremony. The couple has a son who was born in December 2015.
TV Career
Sam Claflin started his acting career with the popular miniseries, The Pillars of the Earth where he played the role of Richard of Kingsbridge. The same year, Claflin collaborated with director Mikael Saloman for the South African-German post-apocalyptic TV film Syfy. The film, also starring Sean Bean, and Corey Sevier received negative to average reviews. His other popular TV series' include Any Human Heart (2010), United (2011), and Mary and Martha (2013).
Movie Career
Sam Claflin had a great start to his movie career as he made his debut with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides where he played the role of Philip Swift, a missionary prisoner. The role not only won him widespread appreciation from the critics but also won him many laurels including nominations at the Empire Awards for Best Male Newcomer and Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance. The film starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, and Geoffrey Rush received mixed critical reviews but turned out to be one of the highest-grossing films in the series. Following the success of his debut film, Claflin collaborated with director Rupert Sanders for the American dark fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman, which was the based on the German fairy tale, Snow White. The film co-starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth received mixed critical reviews, but Claflin won a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie: Breakout Performance.
After back-to-back successful films, the actor continued with his good run as he starred in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), an American dystopian science fiction adventure film, which was based on Suzanne Collins' novel titled Catching Fire. The film, which is the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy received positive reviews and Claflin for his brilliant performance as 'Finnick Odair' won a nomination at the Empire Awards for Best Supporting Actor. He then reprised the role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) both of which were huge commercial hits.
In his first film of 2016, Claflin shared the screen with Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Nick Frost in the American dark fantasy action film The Huntsman: Winter's War. The film premiered in Hamburg and upon its release in theaters, mostly garnered negative reviews and turned out to be a box office failure. His other release of the year was the British-American romance film, Me Before You directed by Thea Sharrock. The film co-starring Emilia Clarke, Steve Peacocke, Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance and Matthew Lewis received mixed reviews from critics but fared decently at the box office; it grossed more than 207 million worldwide. His 2017 release includes Their Finest, a British romantic comedy directed by Lone Scherfig. As of 2018, the actor is starring in the drama Adrift, alongside Shailene Woodley.