Sam Kratz
Encyclopedia
Sam Kratz is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
, played by Richard Grieve
. He first appeared in 1994 and remained in the show until 1996. In 2005, Sam made a cameo in his wife Annalise's documentary about Ramsay Street
.
. Just before he finished filming his final scenes, Grieve's agent told him that his application for a work visa had been turned down. Grieve said that he was ready to leave the show, but Inside Soap
said that he would have stayed if a better opportunity was not waiting.
In 2005, Grieve reprised his role of Sam for the Neighbours 20th anniversary episode.
(Moya O'Sullivan) buys Number 24 Ramsay Street from Madge Bishop
(Anne Charleston
). Sam moves into the house but mistakenly sells the furniture belonging to Lou Carpenter
(Tom Oliver
), the previous tenant instead of the old furniture Marlene has shipped to the house. This leads to Lou suspecting Sam of being dodgy but ultimately changes his mind after the mistake is explained.
Sam quickly makes friends with local teenagers Brett
(Brett Blewitt
) and Danni Stark
(Eliza Szonert
) who live next door at Number 22 with their mother Cheryl
(Caroline Gillmer
) and Lou and is later told by Marlene that the Stark kids and Cheryl are his Cousins and Aunt, respectively.
Annalise Hartman
(Kimberley Davies
) catches Sam's eye, but she is engaged to Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan
) who she is living with. Squirrel (Brooke Howden) one of Brett and Danni's classmates takes a liking to Sam after he chaperones a dance. Sam rebuffs Squirrel but she later returns and tells him he is the father of her baby. This is proved to be untrue when Danni urges Squirrel to confess.
When Annalise returns after a holiday to get over Mark jilting her at the altar and later a cancer scare, Sam confesses his love for her and the two become an item.
Sam's father, Patrick (Shane Porteous
) arrives in Erinsborough keen to build bridges with his son but Sam is less than eager to reconcile with him as he and his mother had often left Sam in Marlene's care as a child while they furthered their careers. Sam is further angered when Patrick tells him that he has separated from Sarah, Sam's mother. The two men eventually reconcile after a going on a Bush Retreat.
At Christmas 1995, Sam notices Annalise is becoming more and more distant and shows disinterest in their sex life. It soon emerges that Annalise is having an affair with Stonefish Rebecchi
(Anthony Engelman). Sam is upset and throws Annalise out. Things are not helped when Sam goes to visit Annalise at a motel and finds Stonie there. This results in Sam punching Stonie.
Sam and Annalise try to salvage their relationship but are unable to and Annalise leaves for London. Sam later becomes a male model for Stefano Gold and later has a relationship with Cody Willis
(Peta Brady
). This is cut short when Cody is shot during a siege with drug dealers and dies a week later in hospital. Sam blames himself and grieves her death until Cody appears to him as ghostly during a whisky-induced hallucination and tells him to get on with his life. When Sam wakes up, he finds one of Cody's rings in his hand.
Annalise later gets in touch with Sam and tells him she wants to reconcile in London
and they can travel Europe together. Sam jumps at the chance and leaves after attending the wedding of Annalise's sister Joanna (Emma Harrison
) to Rob Evans (Graham Harvey). Sam later sells his Handy Sam's Business to Malcolm Kennedy
(Benjamin McNair
. Sam and Annalise marry in 2000.
In 2005, Sam is seen in Annalise's Documentary about Ramsay Street walking through Westminster
citing the girls being the best reason to live on Ramsay Street and Annalise being the only one for him.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Richard Grieve
Richard Grieve
Richard Grieve is an actor, currently living in England. He was born in Hong Kong. He has worked extensively in film, television, theatre and musical theatre, but is perhaps best known for his roles in the British soap Emmerdale, and two Australian television series, Neighbours and Home and...
. He first appeared in 1994 and remained in the show until 1996. In 2005, Sam made a cameo in his wife Annalise's documentary about Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre around the residents of the Street, which was named after the...
.
Casting
Grieve quit his role in Neighbours in 1996 to play the lead in West End musical GreaseGrease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. Just before he finished filming his final scenes, Grieve's agent told him that his application for a work visa had been turned down. Grieve said that he was ready to leave the show, but Inside Soap
Inside Soap
Inside Soap is a weekly UK magazine, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas shown in the United Kingdom....
said that he would have stayed if a better opportunity was not waiting.
In 2005, Grieve reprised his role of Sam for the Neighbours 20th anniversary episode.
Characterisation
In her book, "Neighbours: The first 10 years", Josephine Monroe describes Sam as "A handsome biker always on the edge of the law." Monroe added "Sam may look rough with his stubble and oil stains, but he has proven himself to be a rough diamond."Storylines
Sam arrives in Ramsay Street when his grandmother MarleneMarlene Kratz
Marlene Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Moya O'Sullivan. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 July 1994 and remained in the show until 14 October 1997, when the character went on a three month cruise and never returned....
(Moya O'Sullivan) buys Number 24 Ramsay Street from Madge Bishop
Madge Bishop
Margaret Mary "Madge" Bishop is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anne Charleston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 January 1986. Madge was one of the matriarchs of the Ramsay family. She departed in 1992, before making a return in 1996...
(Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston
Anne Charleston is an Australian actress currently based in Galway, Ireland and the UK. She is known for her roles as Madge Bishop in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and Lily Butterfield in Emmerdale.-Early career:...
). Sam moves into the house but mistakenly sells the furniture belonging to Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
(Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver is an English television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:...
), the previous tenant instead of the old furniture Marlene has shipped to the house. This leads to Lou suspecting Sam of being dodgy but ultimately changes his mind after the mistake is explained.
Sam quickly makes friends with local teenagers Brett
Brett Stark
Brett Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Blewitt. He debuted in the episode airing on 30 November 1993, along with his sister, Danni Stark and remained as a regular in the show until 8 March 1996. Blewitt returned as Brett for five...
(Brett Blewitt
Brett Blewitt
Brett Blewitt, is an Australian actor who played Brett Stark on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1993 to 1996...
) and Danni Stark
Danni Stark
Danielle "Danni" Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Eliza Szonert. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 30 November 1993 and remained in the show until 13 November 1996, with a brief cameo in 2005 in Annalise Hartman's...
(Eliza Szonert
Eliza Szonert
Eliza Szonert is an Australian actress.Szonert is best known for playing Danni Stark in Australia's long-running soap opera, Neighbours, from 1993 to 1996. Szonert reprised the role in 2005 for the show's 20th anniversary....
) who live next door at Number 22 with their mother Cheryl
Cheryl Stark
Cheryl Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Caroline Gillmer. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 26 July 1993. Colette Mann took over the role for eight weeks from late 1995 to early 1996 whilst Gillmer was ill...
(Caroline Gillmer
Caroline Gillmer
Caroline Gillmer is an Australian actress, best known for her roles in various television series, such as Prisoner as Helen Smart and Neighbours as Cheryl Stark....
) and Lou and is later told by Marlene that the Stark kids and Cheryl are his Cousins and Aunt, respectively.
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kimberley Davies. She debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 15 January 1993 and departed in 1996, and a brief return in 2005. Annalise has often been portrayed as having a conniving persona...
(Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies
Kimberley Davies is an Australian actress most famous for playing Annalise Hartman on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1993 to 1996...
) catches Sam's eye, but she is engaged to Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan
Bruce Samazan
Bruce Samazan is an Australian actor who appeared in several soap operas and drama series on Australian television, the only actor to have played regular roles in Australia's "Big Three" soap operas of the 1990s .-E Street:Samazan was a brickie's labourer, until 1989 when he accompanied his...
) who she is living with. Squirrel (Brooke Howden) one of Brett and Danni's classmates takes a liking to Sam after he chaperones a dance. Sam rebuffs Squirrel but she later returns and tells him he is the father of her baby. This is proved to be untrue when Danni urges Squirrel to confess.
When Annalise returns after a holiday to get over Mark jilting her at the altar and later a cancer scare, Sam confesses his love for her and the two become an item.
Sam's father, Patrick (Shane Porteous
Shane Porteous
John Shane Porteous is an Australian television character actor, TV screenplay scriptwriter, theatre actor, animation layout artist, and animation voice artist.-Biography:...
) arrives in Erinsborough keen to build bridges with his son but Sam is less than eager to reconcile with him as he and his mother had often left Sam in Marlene's care as a child while they furthered their careers. Sam is further angered when Patrick tells him that he has separated from Sarah, Sam's mother. The two men eventually reconcile after a going on a Bush Retreat.
At Christmas 1995, Sam notices Annalise is becoming more and more distant and shows disinterest in their sex life. It soon emerges that Annalise is having an affair with Stonefish Rebecchi
Stonefish Rebecchi
Kevin "Stonefish" Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap Neighbours, played by Anthony Engelman. He made his first appearance on 31 March 1994. Stonefish was the first of the Rebecchi family to appear and he was later followed by his mother, father and brothers. The...
(Anthony Engelman). Sam is upset and throws Annalise out. Things are not helped when Sam goes to visit Annalise at a motel and finds Stonie there. This results in Sam punching Stonie.
Sam and Annalise try to salvage their relationship but are unable to and Annalise leaves for London. Sam later becomes a male model for Stefano Gold and later has a relationship with Cody Willis
Cody Willis
Cody Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, originally played by Amelia Frid. She made her first on-screen appearance on 24 November 1989. The character departed in 1991, but returned in 1993 with Peta Brady in the role...
(Peta Brady
Peta Brady
Peta Brady is an Australian actress. She is best known for playing Cody Willis in the TV soap opera Neighbours. Since she left the show, Brady has appeared in the film Mullet, the TV sitcom Kath & Kim and the SBS series RAN ...
). This is cut short when Cody is shot during a siege with drug dealers and dies a week later in hospital. Sam blames himself and grieves her death until Cody appears to him as ghostly during a whisky-induced hallucination and tells him to get on with his life. When Sam wakes up, he finds one of Cody's rings in his hand.
Annalise later gets in touch with Sam and tells him she wants to reconcile in London
and they can travel Europe together. Sam jumps at the chance and leaves after attending the wedding of Annalise's sister Joanna (Emma Harrison
Emma Harrison
Emma Harrison is an actress, model and dancer, best known for the role of Joanna Hartman in the Australian soap-opera Neighbours.-Early life:...
) to Rob Evans (Graham Harvey). Sam later sells his Handy Sam's Business to Malcolm Kennedy
Malcolm Kennedy
Malcolm George "Mal" Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Benjamin McNair. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 arriving to live in Ramsay Street with his family...
(Benjamin McNair
Benjamin McNair
Benjamin John McNair is an Australian actor. McNair is perhaps best known for his role as Malcolm Kennedy in the soap opera Neighbours which he played from 1994–97 returning briefly in 2002, 2004 and 2011 with a cameo appearance in 2005.-Early life:McNair moved to Australia with his family when he...
. Sam and Annalise marry in 2000.
In 2005, Sam is seen in Annalise's Documentary about Ramsay Street walking through Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
citing the girls being the best reason to live on Ramsay Street and Annalise being the only one for him.
External links
- Character profile at the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...