Samuel Buckley was born in New Zealand. While working as a book designer at New Zealand's largest book publisher he also acted in local plays. After working as a network television journalist for several years Buckley became the manager/actor/trombone player of a travelling group of musicians, actors and film-makers touring New Zealand and Australia. After recording several hit singles and two LPs, Buckley produced an award-winning series of music & comedy for television, and a feature film.
 
In the United States Buckley produced and fronted reports for Television New Zealand, Radio New Zealand, and regularly appeared as guest interviewer on World Chronicle, a United Nations television program which discussed global issues. He wrote feature stories and columns for publications in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
 
In the early 1990s Buckley became the hands-on managing editor of South Africa News, a 32-page monthly tabloid newspaper based in New York. The paper covered business, tourist and general news of the new South Africa as it emerged from the apartheid era. He was then appointed senior editor of two financial newsletters covering the futures market and hedge funds. He is now a freelance writer.
 
Buckley has written short stories, several plays, many songs and the musical drama, A Full Life. The musical was chosen by the Emerging Artists Theatre in New York for its developmental reading festival of new musicals in March 2012. His one-act play, Mother Daughter, was chosen for the Times Square Spring Theatre Festival in April 2012.
 
Buckley is a United States citizen, and a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the National Writers Union.