Sam Reid

Biography

Sam Reid (born 1987 in New South Wales) is an Australian actor trained in London. He is best known for playing Tolbert McCoy in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and, more recently, for playing Lestat de Lioncourt in the AMC drama Interview with the Vampire.

Raised on a cattle property in the Monaro region, he began acting as a child alongside his older brother, Rupert Reid. He studied at LAMDA in London and graduated in 2010. His first substantial film role came in Anonymous (2011), where he played the Earl of Essex.

After appearing as the young Harry Pearce in Spooks, he worked on Belle and The Railway Man, both released in 2013, and starred in '71 (2014) as an inexperienced lieutenant posted to Belfast during the Troubles. On television he has appeared in The Astronaut Wives Club, Prime Suspect 1973 and The Newsreader, a series that earned him three AACTA Award nominations.

Since 2022, his Lestat has drawn strong critical praise and a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination. Away from the screen, he has performed on the London stage and released songs tied to the series' third season.

Key films

• Anonymous (2011): the Earl of Essex, one of his first major film roles.
• Belle (2013): John Davinier, the young man courting the title character in this period drama.
• The Railway Man (2013): the young Finlay, alongside Stellan Skarsgård in this war drama.
• '71 (2014): Second Lieutenant Armitage, an inexperienced officer deployed to Belfast.
• The Riot Club (2014): Hugo, a student in an elite university club, in this adaptation of the play Posh.