Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Samantha is a graduate of the acclaimed Circle In The Square Theatre School in New York City. She moved to London in 2003 forming the theatre company, Suspect Package with fellow Canadian actor Trevor White ( Downton Abbey/ Episodes), where their productions received critical success. Evening Standard review for "Problem Child": ' It is impossible to maintain a detached reaction to the Suspect Package company's provocative production, largely due to the impressive Samantha Coughlan's sympathetically psychotic performance'.