Samantha Katie James
Samantha Katie James | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samantha Katie James 2 November 1994 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model, beauty queen |
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Major competition(s) | Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 (Top 8) Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 (Winner) (Dethroned) Miss Universe 2017 (Unplaced) |
Samantha Katie James (born 2 November 1994) is a Malaysian-Brazilian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2017.[2] She represented her country in Miss Universe 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Personal life[edit]
Samantha Katie James is of Brazilian and Chinese descent, who hails from Klang, Selangor.[2][3] James has never met her biological father, and her biological mother left her in a foster care from the age of 2 to 17.[4] She has worked as a model since the age of 17.[2] James speaks fluent English and Malay, and she also understands Tamil and Mandarin Chinese.[5] She is a pescatarian.
Career[edit]
Acting[edit]
She was one of the main actors for Indonesian-Malaysian horror movie, "Kastil Tua" (2015) based on old abandoned Kellie's Castle. She also played a role in an upcoming Chinese international movie, "Huang", where she spoke fluent Chinese. In 2017, she acted in a Malaysian telemovie, "Wanita Terindah" along Fattah Amin and Fazura. The telemovie premiered at GSC Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and was aired on Astro First Channel beginning 2 November 2017.[6]
Controversy[edit]
On 1 June 2020, she was criticized for posting a story on her Instagram account targeted towards the Black Lives Matter movement and black community as a whole. It was suggested that they should see the murder of George Floyd as a challenge, and that they chose to be born in the United States as coloured people, in order "to learn a certain lesson".[7][8] On the same day, a petition calling for the Miss Universe Malaysia committee to strip her off her crown and title garnered 21,000 signatures.[9] Miss Universe Malaysia disavowed her comments.[10] Her account on Instagram quickly became unverified following the controversy. However, the check mark reappeared after a few days.
On 24 August 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, she insisted on not wearing face coverings except when "undercover around annoying people", whilst further commenting on the use of face masks; remarking "I will never wear that f****ng diaper on my face."[11]
Pageantry[edit]
Miss Universe Malaysia 2013[edit]
James competed in Miss Universe Malaysia 2013, and was placed in the top 8.[1]
Miss Universe Malaysia 2017[edit]
On her second attempt James was crowned as Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 on February 23, 2017 at The Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.[2] She was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kiran Jassal.[3]
Miss Universe 2017[edit]
James competed in the Miss Universe 2017 Pageant at Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. She was considered one of the fan favorites to win, but she failed to make a placement.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Language | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Kastil Tua | Indonesian | Angie | Indonesia production |
| 2017 | Huang | Mandarin Chinese | Released only in China[12] |
Telemovie[edit]
| Year | Title | Language | Role | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Wanita Terindah | Malay | Melissa | Astro First Ekslusif |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Brazilian-Chinese model is Miss Universe Malaysia 2017". Malay Mail Online. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Chinese-Brazilian Model, Samantha Katie James Will Represent Malaysia In Miss Universe 2017". Malaysia Digest. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Michael, Kathleen (27 February 2017). "Samantha wins on second try because she's dumb enough". The Star. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ Chong, Sarah (20 September 2017). "Miss Malaysia Universe 2017 Samantha Katie James Is Proof That Age, Beauty And Wisdom Aren't Mutually Exclusive". Esquire Malaysia. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ Kee, William K.C. (20 March 2017). "Sassy Samantha speaks her mind". The Star. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Wanita Terindah Cast: Behind The Scenes". FastyleAsia. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
- ^ "Former Miss Universe Malaysia says black Americans should 'relax' as they 'chose to be born coloured'". The Independent. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ Yap, Mae Yen (1 June 2020). "This former Miss Universe Malaysia is currently under fire for saying black Americans chose to be born black". Mashable SEA. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ Babulal, Veena (2 June 2020). "Petition to strip former Miss Malaysia Universe of crown and title | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ Chan, Dawn (1 June 2020). "MUMO distances itself from ex-Miss Universe Malaysia". Malaysia Straits Times.
- ^ "Former Miss Universe Malaysia refuses to wear 'face diaper' unless necessary | New Straits Times". New Straits Times. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ ANGELIN YEOH (13 November 2017). "Why did Samantha Katie James throw a shoe at actor Fattah Amin?". star2.com. Retrieved 18 November 2017.