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.
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) |
Personal life
editSamantha 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
editActing
editShe 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
editOn 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
editMiss Universe Malaysia 2013
editJames competed in Miss Universe Malaysia 2013, and was placed in the top 8.[1]
Miss Universe Malaysia 2017
editOn 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
editJames 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
editFilm
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.