Fiona Samuel was born in Scotland where her father was studying at Edinburgh University. The family returned to New Zealand in 1966 and Fiona was educated in Christchurch. She graduated from the New Zealand Drama School in Wellington in 1980 and acted at theatres throughout the country as well as appearing in numerous television dramas.

Together with Miranda Harcourt and Murray Keane, she toured New Zealand with Oracles and Miracles, Norelle Scott 's play based on the novel by Stevan Eldred-Grigg.

Fiona began writing in 1983 and her first adult radio piece, Blonde Bombshell won the Mobil Best Dramatic Production Award in 1984. In 1986 Fiona was commissioned by Television New Zealand to write a seven part drama series, The Marching Girls which screened in 1987. The following year her first stage play The Wedding Party was premiered by the Auckland company, Tantrum.

As well as continuing to write for radio and theatre, Fiona has been active in film and television, writing and directing a number of short film projects. Her trilogy of solo dramas for television, Face Value was a finalist in both the Banff and New York Television Festivals in 1995. In 1996, Fiona's play One Flesh was staged at Wellington's Downstage Theatre, one half of a double bill with playwright David Geary. Fiona also wrote the television drama Home Movie which she wrote and directed.

Fiona developed an adaptation of Carol Ann Duffy's The World's Wife for the 2002 New Zealand Festival which toured New Zealand in the same year. Fiona is based in Auckland.