Samantha Mathis

Samantha Mathis

Active - 1949 - 2019  |   Born - May 12, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Thriller, Science Fiction

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Biography by AllMovie

Samantha Mathis is the daughter of actress Bibi Besch. Mathis's TV-series bow occurred in 1988, when she won the role of Merlin Olsen's daughter in the two-month wonder Aaron's Way. She could later be found among the supporting cast of another dramatic series, Knightwatch, which survived for three months. In films since 1990, Mathis made an excellent early impression as the misfit girlfriend of maverick teenage ham-radio operator Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume. Less aesthetically pleasing (but undoubtedly higher salaried) was Mathis' turn as the eminently kidnappable Princess Daisy in Super Mario Bros. (1993).

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Factsheet

  • Speaks fluent German due to her Austrian descent; her maternal grandmother is WWII-era Austrian actor Gusti Huber and her mother is Austrian-American actor Bibi Besch.
  • Began acting career at just 6 months old in a commercial for baby products.
  • Showcased her singing voice in The Thing Called Love (1993).
  • Was with River Phoenix at the Viper Room in West Hollywood the night he died. 
  • Co-founded the Los Angeles-based floral design company Succulent.