Samantha Sloyan (born January 4, 1979) is an American actress. Sloyan is best known for her multiple collaborations with filmmaker Mike Flanagan in Hush (2016), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Midnight Mass (2021), The Midnight Club (2022), The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), The Life of Chuck (2024), and Carrie (2026). She has also appeared in recurring roles on Scandal (2012–2014) and the twelfth season of Grey's Anatomy (2015–2016). She is the daughter of actors James Sloyan and Deirdre Lenihan.
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Early life
Born in Los Angeles County on January 4, 1979, Sloyan is one of two children, one girl and one boy, born to actors James Sloyan and Deirdre Lenihan. Sloyan is also the niece of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Patrick Sloyan.
Career
Sloyan first appeared in the 2003 independent feature film My Life with Morrissey as a florist. She continued to appear in a few short films such as No Shoulder, Shamelove, and Autodoc. In 2009, she produced and starred in the short film Plus One. Sloyan has also guest-starred in several television series such as The Beast, The Forgotten, Law & Order: LA, and NCIS. She played a recurring role as a White House employee named Jeannine Locke in the first three seasons of Scandal. Sloyan continued to appear in smaller films, including In the Key of Eli, Tape 407, and the television movie Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story.
In 2014, Sloyan guest-starred on Castle, Parks and Recreation, Hawaii Five-0, and Rizzoli & Isles. She began a recurring role in the ShondaLand production Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Penelope Blake, first appearing in the eleventh season episode "How to Save a Life", which included the death of lead character, Derek Shepherd, played by Patrick Dempsey. She appeared again in the 12th season, including the show's 250th episode "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", which was mostly focused on Sloyan's character.
In 2021, Sloyan portrayed Catholic Beverly Keane in the miniseries Midnight Mass, directed by Mike Flanagan. In 2026, she portrays Margaret White in Flanagan's horror television series, Carrie.
On stage, Sloyan acted at the Geffen Playhouse and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. She received the LADCC and LA Weekly awards for her performance in Munched.
