Born: 27th April 1982 (as Samuel Lee Anderson)
Episodes Broadcast: 2014

Samuel Anderson was born in Handsworth, Birmingham. Having become interested in acting, he decided to follow the path charted by a cousin, which initially saw him attend the Birmingham Theatre School and then the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in Wandsworth, London. Anderson graduated in 2003 and almost immediately found work on an episode of Doctors. A sideline as a competitive breakdancer came to an end as a result of injuries he sustained in a car accident. Following his recovery, Anderson appeared in programmes like Totally Frank while also joining the original cast of the play The History Boys. The latter led to Anderson's movie debut in its 2006 film adaptation, while his friendship with co-star James Corden -- later to appear in two Doctor Who episodes himself -- resulted in a recurring role in Corden's sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

Anderson's profile grew by virtue of a fifteen-month stint on the soap opera Emmerdale, starting in late 2007; amongst his castmates was Jenna Coleman. Over the next few years, he could be seen in programmes such as Casualty and Midsomer Murders. Anderson joined the cast of Doctor Who for its 2014 season, the first to feature Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. His initial appearance as Danny Pink -- the colleague and then boyfriend of companion Clara Oswald, played by Coleman -- came in the year's second episode, Into The Dalek. Following Danny's tragic death in a traffic mishap at the start of Dark Water, he returned as a Cyberman in the finale, Death In Heaven, and then as part of a dream experienced by the slumbering Clara in that year's holiday special, Last Christmas. Along the way, he also played Danny's putative descendant, Orson Pink, in Listen.

During the remainder of the decade, Anderson starred in shows like Witless and Another Life, while also appearing regularly in several seasons of Trollied. A small movie part came in the Maggie Smith comedy-drama The Lady In The Van. More headlining television roles materialised during the Twenties, including Landscapers and Red Rose. Anderson could also be seen in the crime film Gunpowder Milkshake, starring former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan.