Samuel Johnson (actor) - Personal Life

Personal Life

Born in 1978, Samuel was born and raised in Daylesford, Victoria. He has two sisters, Constance and Hilde and both were raised by their father. Johnson has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations in his life. When Samuel was a toddler, his mother committed suicide. At age 11, his sister Constance was diagnosed with cancer, which she pulled through successfully after chemotherapy sessions.

Prior to his discovery, his family were going through some financial difficulty. His father had enough money to pay for one of them to go to a private school for a term. "He chose me despite the fact that my sister had a better academic record. And by the end of the first term, I was earning enough to pay for the school fees that we couldn't afford. I was very lucky. I got an opportunity and I made the most of it."

With the money he earned through his acting, they were able to pay off the school fees and eventually started their own family business, a chain of second-hand bookstores around Melbourne.

On 5 February 2006, his girlfriend committed suicide. He then endured a bitter legal tug-of-war for seven months between her estranged parents about where she should be laid to rest. She was eventually laid to rest while the case ended in court.

Johnson took an extended career break to recover from the trauma and returned to Daylesford.

In 2007, Johnson found happiness again and is enjoying a strong and supportive relationship with Sarah Hallam, a casting director. They have known each other since they were 15. He stated, "I am really enjoying my new life. It is very different from the other one ... out in the 'burbs with my girl and her little boy, who is five."

They live in the outer suburbs of Melbourne with Sarah's young son, while running workshops for aspiring actors.

In July 2007, he returned to acting, playing a young Weary Dunlop in the play "Weary: The Story of Sir Edward Dunlop". Weary follows the ageing veteran after retirement, when he returns to the diaries of his time in a World War II POW camp. The action switches between the young Weary and his older, wiser self.

In September 2007, Samuel was involved in a bar brawl at Star City Casino, Sydney. While attending a wedding with his girlfriend Hallam, he was involved in an altercation with another guest Ben Benson, of Brisbane. Johnson had repeatedly punched him before stomping on his head as he lay prone on the floor.

The court was told at the time of the offence Johnson was receiving treatment for depression following the suicide of his long-term partner Lainie Woodlands.

Upon leaving the court, Johnson was completely remorseful for his actions, stating "I am very sorry it all happened, I was a bit of a nincompoop and I'm glad that it's all over. I'm looking forward to moving on.

He was given a 12-month good behaviour bond, with Johnson to continue with his counselling, and no conviction was reported.

In May 2008, Johnson gave his first interview since the death of Woodlands to ABC Television's Australian Story – The Sum of Sam. He talked about the turmoil of the last three years – and his life changing involvement with Open Family Australia, a charity that works with vulnerable young people.

Johnson also starred in a police series called Rush (2008 TV series) as Intelligence Officer Leon Broznic. And continues to do volunteer work with ‘Open Family’.

In 2010 he made an amusing cameo appearance as an old friend of Sarah's at the end of an episode of Wilfred.

In 2013, Samuel will travel 15,000km on a unicycle in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record and raise $1 million for the Garvan Institute of Medical Research to find a cure for breast cancer. His stated mission is to remind every Australian woman about the need to be 'breast aware' in an effort to promote early detection and improve survival rates, via his charitable foundation, Love Your Sister.