Samantha Mumba

About this actor

Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba (born 18 January 1983 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish singer and actress. Her first album was released in 2000. Her most notable role was Mara in the 2002 film The Time Machine. She has also appeared in a number of Irish independent films. Mumba was born at Palmer Street Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. Her father, Peter Mumba, is a black Zambian and was formerly an aircraft engineer, and her mother is a white Irish woman. Mumba attended Dublin's Billie Barry Stage School from the age of three to fifteen. When Mumba was 15 she was discovered on an RTÉ TV talent show Let Me Entertain You by Irish music Svengali Louis Walsh (manager of Boyzone and Westlife). Walsh was impressed by her talent and she was signed to Polydor Records. She subsequently spent several months moving between Denmark, Sweden, the UK and Ireland, where she co-wrote and recorded her debut album, Gotta Tell You. She eventually dropped out of school to focus on her music career,...