# Benedict Samuel
**Benedict Samuel** (also credited as Benedict Victor Samuel) is an Australian actor, writer, and director, born in 1988, best known for playing Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, in the Fox crime series *Gotham* and Owen, leader of the Wolves, in AMC's *The Walking Dead*.[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1347948-benedict-samuel?language=en-US) • [2](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel) He trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and has worked across Australian and American television and independent film.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988, Australia; database listings give Sydney, while Samuel himself has said he was born and raised in Adelaide[2](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel) • [4](https://cinemarche.net/column/filmink-8/) |
| Training | Graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2009[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) |
| Signature TV roles | Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter in *Gotham* (2016–2019); Owen in *The Walking Dead* (seasons 5 and 6)[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1347948-benedict-samuel?language=en-US) • [5](https://walkingdeadbr.com/the-walking-dead-10-years-benedict-samuel-interview/) |
| Feature debut | Lead role in the indie film *Asthma* (2014), directed by Jake Hoffman[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) |
| 2015 output | Three U.S. features (*The Walk*, *The Stanford Prison Experiment*, *By Way of Helena*) plus the ABC miniseries *The Beautiful Lie*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) • [6](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/beautiful-lie-the-33881/) |
| Behind the camera | Writer and director of the 2012 short thriller *Sanctuary*, starring his brother Xavier Samuel[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel) |
| Family | Youngest of three children of Maree and Clifford Samuel; brother Xavier Samuel is an actor, sister Bridget Samuel is a stage manager[2](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel) • [8](https://healthyceleb.com/benedict-samuel/) |
## Early life and training
Samuel is the youngest of three children of Maree and Clifford Samuel. His older brother is the actor [Xavier Samuel](https://www.edgepedia.org/xavier-samuel), known for *The Twilight Saga*, and his sister Bridget works as a stage manager.[2](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel) • [8](https://healthyceleb.com/benedict-samuel/) In a 2014 *Interview Magazine* profile he recalled that his parents paid him and his brother about five dollars a show to stay quiet during theater visits in childhood.[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel)
His own account of where he grew up differs from database listings. Most film and television databases record his birthplace as Sydney,[2](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel) • [9](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-600089/biographie/) but in a FilmInk interview translated by Cinemarche, Samuel said he was born and raised in Adelaide, then moved to Sydney to study at NIDA before going to the United States.[4](https://cinemarche.net/column/filmink-8/)
He graduated from NIDA in 2009 and was cast almost immediately in Australian television, including the Matchbox Pictures children's series *My Place*, the role of Hammer Pirovic in *Home and Away*, and Michael in *Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) His theater debut came in 2011 in the Malthouse production of *['Tis Pity She's a Whore](https://www.edgepedia.org/tis-pity-shes-a-whore)*, directed by Marion Potts, followed by *Judith's Kiss* at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre; he returned to the stage in 2013 in Tanya Goldberg's experimental *The Blind Date Project*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/)
## Television
**Early Australian roles.** In 2012 Samuel played Jonah in *Underground: The Julian Assange Story*, a Matchbox Pictures tele-movie directed by Robert Connolly.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) He later appeared as Felix Crawford in the Australian political thriller *[Secret City](https://www.edgepedia.org/secret-city-tv-series)* in 2016.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/benedict-samuel/)
**The Walking Dead.** Samuel played Owen, leader of the Wolves, a villain group in AMC's *The Walking Dead*, across seasons 5 and 6.[5](https://walkingdeadbr.com/the-walking-dead-10-years-benedict-samuel-interview/) In a 2020 anniversary interview he described the challenge of playing a villain and his enjoyment working with [Lennie James](https://www.edgepedia.org/lennie-james) (Morgan), noting that the series was shot on film, a medium he values in his own street photography.[5](https://walkingdeadbr.com/the-walking-dead-10-years-benedict-samuel-interview/)
**Gotham.** From 2016 to 2019 he played Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, in the Fox series *Gotham*, following [David Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-wayne)'s portrayal of the character in the 1966 *Batman* television series.[1](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1347948-benedict-samuel?language=en-US) • [11](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/gotham-s-benedict-samuel-tells-walking-dead-fans-why-they-should/) • [18](https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/the-thirteenth-hat/umc.cmc.3ea6n4xtxr6pq5m3fpksmkygv) Episode counts differ between sources: IMDb lists 24 episodes,[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) while the German database fernsehserien.de lists 21 episodes from season III onward.[12](https://www.fernsehserien.de/benedict-samuel/filmografie) Speaking to ComicBook.com on set in 2016, Samuel drew a distinction between his two villains: the Wolf "bent the world to suit him," while the Mad Hatter "isn't concerned about bending the world, but bending the people to him."[11](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/gotham-s-benedict-samuel-tells-walking-dead-fans-why-they-should/)
**Later television.** His subsequent credits include Royal in *Into the Dark: My Valentine* (2020), Matthew Garrett in a 2019 episode of *Chicago P.D.*, Teddy in *FBI: Most Wanted* (2022), and Sean Cosgrove in the second season of the Stan cold-case mystery *Black Snow*, which aired in January 2025.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/benedict-samuel/) • [13](https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/916f0d8e-f744-4d81-ae6c-f9dc20e2a6a8/-/inline/no/Black%20Snow%20S2_Press%20Kit.pdf) • [14](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57604/benedict-samuel)
## Film
Samuel made his feature film debut starring in the independent film *Asthma* (2014), the directorial debut of [Jake Hoffman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jake-hoffman), playing a fringe outsider in the New York indie-rock scene opposite [Krysten Ritter](https://www.edgepedia.org/krysten-ritter), Rosanna Arquette, Nick Nolte, and [Iggy Pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/iggy-pop).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) • [7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel) He called it "one of those rare passion projects that you can't quite believe you're involved in."[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel)
2015 brought three U.S. features: [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis)'s *The Walk* (as David), Kyle Patrick Alvarez's *The Stanford Prison Experiment* (as Jacob Harding), and Kieran Darcy-Smith's *By Way of Helena*; the western *The Duel*, in which he played George opposite [Woody Harrelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-harrelson) and [Liam Hemsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/liam-hemsworth), is also dated 2016 in some listings.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) • [9](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-600089/biographie/) • [15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/benedict_samuel) Later films include *Pimped* (2018), an Australian psychological thriller directed by David Barker in which he played Lewis Blake, a role he deliberately made unlikable;[16](https://www.filmink.com.au/benedict-samuel-pumped-pimped/) *Sweetheart* (2019, as Brad); *Ellipsis* (2017, as Jasper); *Warning* (2021); *Measure of Revenge* (2022); and *North of Normal* (2022, as Karl), his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 100 percent.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/benedict-samuel/) • [15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/benedict_samuel)
In Australian television drama he played Skeet Du Pont in *The Beautiful Lie*, a six-part ABC reimagining of Tolstoy's *Anna Karenina* produced by Endemol Australia and co-starring [Sarah Snook](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-snook) and [Rodger Corser](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodger-corser), which premiered in October 2015.[6](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/beautiful-lie-the-33881/) • [17](https://vicscreen.vic.gov.au/news/the-beautiful-lie1/)
## Writing and directing
Before his Hollywood acting break, Samuel wrote and directed short films, including the 2012 psychological thriller short *Sanctuary*, starring his brother Xavier.[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel) IMDb credits him with one writing credit and one directing credit, both tied to *Sanctuary*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/) He told *Interview* that he wanted to write and direct more "but only so I can keep a fresh perspective," and described woodworking as a private hobby, having built his own dining table in Australia.[7](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel)
## References
1. [Benedict Samuel, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1347948-benedict-samuel?language=en-US)
2. [Benedict Samuel, Walking Dead Wiki (Fandom)](https://walkingdead.fandom.com/wiki/Benedict_Samuel)
3. [Benedict Samuel, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4301412/)
4. [FILMINK vol. 8 interview with Benedict Samuel (Cinemarche translation)](https://cinemarche.net/column/filmink-8/)
5. [The Walking Dead 10 Years: Exclusive interview with Benedict Samuel (Owen), The Walking Dead Brasil](https://walkingdeadbr.com/the-walking-dead-10-years-benedict-samuel-interview/)
6. [Beautiful Lie, The, Screen Australia Screen Guide](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/beautiful-lie-the-33881/)
7. [Benedict Samuel, Interview Magazine (April 14, 2014)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/benedict-samuel)
8. [Benedict Samuel Height, Weight, Age, Family, Facts, Biography, HealthyCeleb](https://healthyceleb.com/benedict-samuel/)
9. [Benedict Samuel : Sa biographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-600089/biographie/)
10. [Benedict Samuel, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/benedict-samuel/)
11. [Gotham's Benedict Samuel Tells Walking Dead Fans Why They Should Try the Show, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/dc/news/gotham-s-benedict-samuel-tells-walking-dead-fans-why-they-should/)
12. [Filmografie Benedict Samuel, fernsehserien.de](https://www.fernsehserien.de/benedict-samuel/filmografie)
13. [Black Snow Season 2 Press Kit](https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/916f0d8e-f744-4d81-ae6c-f9dc20e2a6a8/-/inline/no/Black%20Snow%20S2_Press%20Kit.pdf)
14. [Benedict Samuel, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57604/benedict-samuel)
15. [Benedict Samuel Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/benedict_samuel)
16. [Benedict Samuel: Pumped for Pimped, FilmInk](https://www.filmink.com.au/benedict-samuel-pumped-pimped/)
17. [The Beautiful Lie, VicScreen](https://vicscreen.vic.gov.au/news/the-beautiful-lie1/)
18. [The Thirteenth Hat - Batman (Series 1, Episode 13) - Apple TV (UK)](https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/the-thirteenth-hat/umc.cmc.3ea6n4xtxr6pq5m3fpksmkygv)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Australian actors › Surnames O to S*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license