Samantha Futerman (born Ra-Hee Chung; November 19, 1987) is a South Korean-born American actress, writer, director, and activist. 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 identical twin sister she was not aware she had through Facebook and their journey after the truth is revealed.
Samantha Futerman | |
|---|---|
| born Ra-Hee Chung | |
 | |
| Born | November 19, 1987 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Director, Activist |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse |
Ryan Miyamoto (m. 2022) |
Personal life
editFuterman 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] Raised in Verona, New Jersey, Futerman graduated from Verona High School in 2005.[3] 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.[4] In 2012, Futerman made an appearance in KevJumba's YouTube video, High School Virgin.[4] 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.[5] With the help of Dr. Nancy Segal, the women took a DNA test, which confirmed that Futerman and Anaïs are, in fact, twins.[6] In May 2013, the women met in person for the first time when Futerman decided to visit Anaïs at school in London.[4]
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.[7] The film begins with the women’s 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.[6]
Since meeting her sister, Futerman has been advocating for adoption. She worked with Jenna Ushkowitz to co-found the Kindred: Foundation of Adoption.[8]
On March 19, 2022, Futerman married Ryan Miyamoto, who co-directed the film Twinsters with her, at a ceremony held in New York City.[9]
Career
editAt the age of 16, Futerman made her feature film debut in 2005 with the leading role in The Motel.[10] 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.[4] 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
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Motel | Christine | |
| 2005 | Memoirs of a Geisha | Satsu | |
| 2007 | Dear Lemon Lima | Nothing Madeline Amigone | |
| 2007 | Across The Universe | Prom Dancer | Uncredited |
| 2008 | Harold | Katy | |
| 2010 | Going The Distance | Very Young Intern | |
| 2013 | 21 & Over | Sally Huang | |
| 2013 | Man-Up | Regan | |
| 2014 | Alice | Alice | Short Film |
| 2015 | Twinsters | Herself | Documentary, also screenwriter and director LAAPFF Grand Jury Prize (2015) Nominated - SXSW Grand Jury Award (2015) Nominated - SXSW Gamechanger Award (2015) |
| 2017 | How to Define the Relationship | Jan | Short Film |
| 2021 | From Here | Jess | Short Film, also screenwriter and director |
| 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"[11] |
| 2015-2016 | John Hughes Ruined My Life | Sam | |
| 2023 | The Rookie | Gamer | Episode: "The Naked and the Dead" |
Bibliography
edit- Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited, with Anaïs Bordier, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2014
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Josephson, Rachel. "Twins Reunited After 25 Years Have Verona Connection", The Fairviewer, May 7, 2015. Accessed September 6, 2021. "The story of Samantha Futerman, a 2005 VHS graduate caught the attention of many Verona residents due to the publicity for the movie, Twinsters. Many people have been surprised that such an interesting story can come from our small town like ours."
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ Futerman, Samantha [@samfuterman] (April 7, 2022). "On March 19 @miyamotoryan and I got married in NYC". Retrieved May 19, 2022 – via Instagram.
- ^ The Motel, retrieved 2018-04-10
- ^ IMDB
