Samantha Futerman
Samantha Futerman (born November 19, 1987) is a South Korean-born American actress. She is known for her supporting role in the drama film Memoirs of a Geisha, set in Japan around World War II. She is also known for her self-made documentary film Twinsters, about how she discovered the twin sister she was not aware she had through Facebook and their journey after the truth is revealed.
Samantha Futerman | |
---|---|
Ra-Hee Chung | |
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2005–present |
Personal life
Futerman was born in Busan, South Korea and given the name Ra-Hee Chung.[1] She was later adopted by American parents, Jackie and Judd Futerman, and has two brothers, Matt and Andrew.[2] Futerman went to high school in Verona, NJ, at Verona High School. Afterward, she went to Boston University's College of Fine Arts and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 2011, Futerman moved to Los Angeles to pursue her interest in acting.[3] In 2012, Futerman made an appearance in KevJumba's YouTube video, High School Virgin.[3] After coming across this video, Futerman's identical twin sister, Anaïs Bordier, from whom she had been separated at birth and of whom she had no knowledge, contacted Futerman through Facebook on February 21, 2013. Immediately after, Futerman decided to work with co-director Ryan Miyamoto to document the twins' journey.[4] With the help of Dr. Nancy Segal, the girls took a DNA test, which confirmed that Futerman and Anaïs are, in fact, twins.[5] In May 2013, the girls met in person for the first time when Futerman decided to visit Anaïs at school in London.[3]
The two sisters have made a documentary film about their lives called Twinsters, which debuted on March 15, 2015, at the South by Southwest Film Festival.[6] The film begins with the girls' first Skype conversation and moves on to them meeting each other in person and their trip to the adoptee conference in Seoul, South Korea, where they also meet their foster mothers.[5]
Since meeting her sister, Futerman has been advocating for adoption. She worked with Jenna Ushkowitz to co-found the Kindred: Foundation of Adoption.[7]
Career
At the age of 16, Futerman made her feature film debut in 2005 with the leading role in The Motel.[8] That same year, Futerman received her role in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, for which she gained international attention with her role of Satsu.[3] In early 2007, Futerman had a supporting role in Dear Lemon Lima opposite Meaghan Martin and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo. Futerman is also known for roles in Going the Distance and 21 & Over.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | The Motel | Christine | Main role |
2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | Satsu | Supporting role |
2007 | Dear Lemon Lima | Nothing Madeline Amigone | Supporting role |
2007 | Across The Universe | Prom Dancer | Uncredited |
2008 | Harold | Katy | Supporting role |
2010 | Going The Distance | Very Young Intern | Minor role |
2013 | 21 & Over | Sally Huang | Minor role |
2013 | Man-Up | Regan | Main role |
2015 | Twinsters | Herself | Main role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | A Gifted Man | Monica Lee | Episode: "In Case of Loss of Control" |
2012 | Up All Night | Riley | Episode: "Daddy Daughter Time" |
2012 | Harry's Law | Madison Tanaka | Episode: "The Contest" |
2013 | The Big C | Lydia Hye | Episodes: "Quality of Life", "You Can't Take It With You" |
2013–15 | Kroll Show | Tunes | 5 episodes |
2014 | Suburgatory | Katie | Episode: "About a Boy-Yoi-Yoing" |
2014 | Law and Order Special Victims Unit | Annie Lin | Episode: "Pattern 17"[9] |
2015-2016 | John Hughes Ruined My Life | Sam |
References
- Bordier, Anaïs; Futerman, Samantha (2014). Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Sisters Reunited. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 978-0-399-16816-1.
- "Daughters | Kindred Adoption". www.kindredadoption.org. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
- "Twinsters: Movie Documents the Story of Samantha Futerman and Anaïs Bordier, Identical Twin Sisters Separated at Birth and Reunited After 25 Years | BU Today | Boston University". BU Today. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- "Reunited twins give hope to adoptees". koreatimes. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- "Twinsters | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- "Twinsters". SXSW Schedule 2015. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- "Kindred Adoption |". www.kindredadoption.org. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- The Motel, retrieved 2018-04-10
- IMDB