Sam Hall took over the role of Samson Dingle back in 2009 when he was just five years old and has tackled some huge storylines over recent years.
Before Sam even appeared on Emmerdale, his on-screen character was at the heart of a emotional storyline as Samson's mum Alice – played by Ursula Holden-Gill – was told she had terminal cancer before giving birth.
Samson has caused some explosive scenes on the ITV soap himself of late - including a controversial teenage pregnancy storyline and a struggle to adapt to life as a father.
We take a look at actor Sam's quiet life off-screen, and look back on all the stars who preceded him in the role of Samson - including one toddler who was controversially sacked from the soap!
Sam Hall's real age
The actor's on-screen character is just 16-years-old and has already packed a lot into his life so far, becoming a father last year after Amelia Spencer gave birth to his daughter Esther following a one-night stand earlier in the year.
In real life, Sam is actually two years older than Samson and recently celebrated his 18th birthday.
The young thespian didn't have to switch up his accent when he first appeared on the Yorkshire based soap in 2009, thanks to hailing from Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Who else has played Samson?
Sam was just five-years-old when he began his acting career on Emmerdale, but three other actors had already portrayed Samson on screen by then.
The role was originally held by Bradley Milnes originating in 2006, who went on to share the gig with Benjamin Shooter in 2007 and 2008.
In 2008, Benjamin's mother claimed the then two-year-old had been fired from the ITV soap after breaking down in tears while shooting some scenes with his on-screen father.
The child actor reportedly became upset after filming disturbing family row scenes a few days earlier, which saw Benjamin star alongside armed robber Sam Dingle as he turns himself in to police.
Benjamin's mother Emma branded executives "cruel" for getting her son to star in the upsetting scenes in the first place, as she claimed the youngster had been axed from the soap and treated no better than a prop.
She told the Sun: "He got very upset when his screen dad was confronted by police and the Dingles.
"There was a lot of shouting going on. I had to take him straight home to calm down."
Emma continued to explain how she took her son back to the soap's set four days later but Benjamin would not go near Jason Hooton who plays Sam Dingle.
"He wouldn't go anywhere near his screen dad without crying. If he'd been able to spend a bit of time playing with James, he would have been fine," she recalled.
"They sacked him and didn't give him a chance to adjust."
Emmerdale bosses confirmed the role had been recast, saying in a statement: "We frequently re-cast babies and small children if necessary as they child's welfare is our primary concern."
Charlie Pell then took over between 2008 and 2009, before current star Sam was officially cast as Samson in 2009.
How Sam feels about being an Emmerdale star
After 12 years playing Samson, Sam has well and truly settled into life as a soap star.
The young actor previously told The Metro: "From the day I started everyone was so supportive and kind. Being in the Dingle family meant growing up with characters like Lisa, Zak and Sam who are as great off screen as they are on screen."
He added: "I’ve enjoyed every minute of working there and look forward to the rest. I love being a Dingle, I couldn’t ask for anything better.
"It’s great every time I get to film with the family. In fact after filming with them for so many years, it doesn’t feel like work at all."
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