Samantha Hawke bio

Samantha Lynn Richardson was born in Burbank, California. Her father, John, runs a high-end real estate agency catering to the elite. Her mother, Mary, is a former dancer who now devotes her time holding charity events. The Richardsons were thrilled to finally have a daughter to join their three sons, John Jr., Mark, and Paul. Their youngest son, Paul, was seven years old when Samantha was born.

With her mother's encouragement, Samantha was playing the piano and singing by age four, and she loved performing for her family and friends. Her mother enrolled her in ballet and tap classes, and by her teen years, she was performing lead roles in school plays and doing some local modeling.

After her high school graduation, Samantha landed a job in a local theatre. She worked hard, and her talent and charisma made her a fan favorite. Her winning smile, warm attitude, and strong work ethic made her popular with the cast and crew.

One evening after a show, a producer approached her. Impressed with her performance, he invited her to audition for a television show. Samantha arrived at the audition excited and scared, and her dreams came true when she landed a part in the one-hour drama series.

She stayed on the TV show for its entire multi-year run, taking film roles during each hiatus. At one film audition, she met handsome and charming Michael Hawke, and she was thrilled when she was cast as his co-star.

Their movie turned out to be a hit for them both professionally and personally. Samantha and Michael shared the same drive and determination, and during all the hours working together, they fell in love. A few months after the movie's premiere, they married. Together, they became one of Tinseltown's most beloved couples and were dubbed "Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood."

After many years of working together and separately in show business, Michael and Samantha decided to write a book about their adventures. Industry insiders recommended they hire literary agent Victor Jennings because he had a lot of experience getting books about Hollywood published. Victor impressed them in their first meeting, so they signed a contract with him.

As they were working together, the Hawkes shared many closely-held secrets about Hollywood idols and the business with Victor, some of which they never planned to include in the book. Samantha was shocked when Victor told her the best way to ensure that information never became public was to pay him a substantial "confidentiality fee."

Even though Samantha and Michael resisted paying, Victor didn't back down, so they notified their attorney, who in turn contacted the authorities. The Hawkes agreed to cooperate in a sting operation to catch Victor.

With their help, Victor was arrested and was awaiting trial when he was found dead.