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Sam Neill

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Sam Neill
Neill in 2022
Born
Nigel John Dermot Neill

(1947-09-14) 14 September 1947 (age 77)
Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Citizenship
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
[1][2]
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present
Spouse
Noriko Watanabe
(m. 1989; sep. 2017)
Children4

Sir Sam Neill (born Nigel John Dermot Neill; 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor and vintner. Neill's career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.[3][4]

Born in Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Neill moved to Christchurch with his family in 1954.[5] He first achieved recognition with his appearance in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, which he followed with leading roles in My Brilliant Career (1979), Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession (both 1981), Evil Angels (also known as A Cry in the Dark) (1988), Dead Calm (1989), The Hunt For Red October (1990), The Piano (1993) and In the Mouth of Madness (1994). He came to international prominence as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993),[6] a role that he reprises in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

Outside film, Neill has appeared in numerous television series in guest and recurring roles, including Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983), The Simpsons (1994), The Tudors (2007), Crusoe (2008–2010), Happy Town (2010), Alcatraz (2012), and Rick and Morty (2019), starring as Merlin in Merlin (1998) Merlin's Apprentice (2006) and Major Chester Campbell in the first two series of Peaky Blinders (2013–2014). He has presented and narrated several documentaries.

Neill is the recipient of the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the Longford Lyell Award, the New Zealand Film Award and the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor. He also has three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.[7] He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor[8] at the 2023 Logies.

Early life

[edit]

Northern Ireland

[edit]

Neill was born on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to Priscilla Beatrice (née Ingham) and Dermot Neill. His father, an army officer, was a second-generation New Zealander, while his mother was English.[9]

His great-grandfather Percival "Percy" Neill left Belfast, Ireland, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, joining a firm of merchants. Four years later, in 1863, he moved to New Zealand, settling in Dunedin. He was the son of a wine merchant importing wine from France.[10][11][12]

At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving with the Royal Irish Fusiliers.[13] His father's family owned Neill and Co. (later part of the listed hospitality group Wilson Neill).[14][15]

New Zealand

[edit]

In 1954 the Neill family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, living in Cashmere. In Christchurch Sam attended Cashmere Primary School, then Medbury School a private prepatory (prep) school. After a year his parents and younger sister Juliet moved south to his father's home city of Dunedin. They lived at Macandrew Bay, where the kids could roam free in the holidays. [16]

He first took to calling himself "Sam" at school because there were several other students named Nigel, and because he felt the name Nigel was "a little effete for ... a New Zealand playground".[17][18][19]

From 1961 he attended the Anglican boys' boarding and day secondary school Christ's College in Christchurch.[5]

He went on to study at the University of Canterbury. He was uncertain about a career, rejecting following his father into the Army or the family firm. He considered law but wasted one year when he failed all four law units.

He was in several plays, such as Ngaio Marsh's A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Marsh's Shakespeare productions for the Canterbury University Drama Society, in which Neill played Theseus. He acted in a production of ‘‘Marat/Sade’’ by Mervyn Thompson, and when another actor dropped out of a Wellington season, he replaced him as Jacques Roux, a role he played ‘’frothing and raving in a straitjacket’’. [20]

The play was staged at Downstage Theatre. Sam had ‘’the time of [his] life’’ and saw that the arts and drama were ‘’part of the fabric of the city, ‘’ unlike in Christchurch or Dunedin. He transferred from the University of Canterbury to Victoria University of Wellington to finish his BA degree with a philosophy unit; and passed the ‘’logic’’ paper with some last-minute coaching by John Clarke. He played ‘’Macbeth’’ in a university production directed by Phillip Mann. Then he joined Downstage as a professional paid actor, paid thirtyfive dollars a week; plus food from the kitchen left over from the meal served to the audience before the show. [21]

In 2004, on the Australian talk show Enough Rope, interviewer Andrew Denton briefly touched on the topic of Neill's stuttering. He recalled how deeply it had affected him in his life and, as a result, he often found himself "hoping that people wouldn't talk to [him]" so he would not have to answer. He also stated, "I kind of outgrew it. I can still ... you can still detect me as a stammerer."[17]

Acting career

[edit]

New Zealand

[edit]
Stills from Landfall – A Film About Ourselves (1974)

Neill's first film was a New Zealand television film The City of No (1971). He followed it with a short, The Water Cycle (1972) and the television film Hunt's Duffer (1973). Neill wrote and directed a film for the New Zealand National Film Unit, Telephone Etiquette (1974). He also appeared in Landfall (1975).[22]

Neill's breakthrough performance in New Zealand was the film Sleeping Dogs (1977), the first local film to be widely screened overseas.

Australia

[edit]

Neill went to Australia where he had a guest role on the TV show The Sullivans. He was the romantic male lead in My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis, which was a big international success.

He made some Australian films that were less widely seen: The Journalist (1979), Just Out of Reach (1979) and Attack Force Z (1981), and appeared in television productions such as Young Ramsay and Lucinda Brayford.

International career

[edit]

In 1981, he won his first big international role, as Damien Thorn, son of the devil, in Omen III: The Final Conflict;[23] also in that year, he played an outstanding main role in Andrzej Żuławski's cult film Possession.[23]

The 1982 film of Ivanhoe made Neill a local celebrity in Sweden, where it has been aired on SVT every New Years Day for 40 years.[24]

He was one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore in the role of James Bond, but lost out to Timothy Dalton. Among his many Australian roles is playing Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels (1988) (released as A Cry in the Dark outside Australia and New Zealand),[25] a film about the case of Azaria Chamberlain.

Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Neill has played heroes and occasionally villains in a succession of film and television dramas and comedies. In the UK, he won early fame and was Golden Globe nominated after portraying real-life spy, Sidney Reilly, in the mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). An early American starring role was in 1987's Amerika, playing a senior KGB officer leading the occupation and division of a defeated United States. His leading and co-starring roles in films include the thriller Dead Calm (1989),[23] the two-part historical epic La Révolution française (1989) (as Marquis de Lafayette), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Death in Brunswick (1990)[23] (in which he was re-teamed with old friend John Clarke), Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), the comedy The Dish (2000),[23] and Jurassic Park III (2001).

Neill has occasionally acted in New Zealand films, including The Piano (1993), Perfect Strangers (2003), Under the Mountain (2009), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). He returned to directing in 1995 with the documentary Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995) which he wrote and directed with Judy Rymer.

In 1993, he co-starred with Anne Archer in Question of Faith, an independent drama based on a true story about one woman's fight to beat cancer and have a baby. In 2000, he provided the voice of Sam Sawnoff in The Magic Pudding. In 2001, he hosted and narrated a documentary series for the BBC entitled Space (Hyperspace in the United States).

He portrayed the eponymous wizard in Merlin (1998), a miniseries based on the legends of King Arthur. He reprised his role in the sequel, Merlin's Apprentice (2006).

Neill starred in the historical drama The Tudors, playing Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. "I have to say I really enjoyed making The Tudors", he said,[26] "It was six months with a character that I found immensely intriguing, with a cast that I liked very much and with a story I found very compelling. It has elements that are hard to beat: revenge and betrayal, lust and treason, all the things that make for good stories."[26]

Neill at Burghound Asia in Singapore in 2011

He acted in the short-lived Fox TV series Alcatraz (2012) as Emerson Hauser. He played the role of Otto Luger in the fantasy adventure film The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box[27] (2014). He had a role in the BBC series Peaky Blinders, set in post-World War I Birmingham. He played the role of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a sadistic corrupt policeman, who came to clean up the town on Churchill's orders. In the 2015 BBC TV miniseries And Then There Were None, based on Agatha Christie's thriller, he played the role of General MacArthur.

In 2016, he starred in the New Zealand-made film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, directed by Taika Waititi, as well as the ITV miniseries Tutankhamun. In 2017, Neill appeared in a scene in Waititi's fantasy sequel Thor: Ragnarok, in which he portrays an actor playing Odin (as depicted by Anthony Hopkins), alongside Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon as actors playing Thor and Loki, respectively. He portrays the same actor in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022.

In 2018, he portrayed Mr. McGregor and also provided the voice of Tommy Brock, in Peter Rabbit. In 2019, he was cast for the role of Denis Goldberg in Escape from Pretoria; however, the role was subsequently recast with Ian Hart. In late 2019, he was announced to reprise his character of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic World Dominion, which released in July 2022.[28]

In 2022, Neill appeared in the Foxtel legal drama The Twelve as Brett Colby. When the series was renewed for series 2, Neill would reprise the role of Colby being the only member of the original season one cast to do so.[29] On 16 September 2024, it was announced that The Twelve had been renewed for a third season and Neill would be returning as Colby.[30] On 6 December 2024, Neill was announced as a nominee for the 2025 AACTA awards for his role on The Twelve.[31]

On 21 June 2024, Neill was named in the cast for the Netflix drama Untamed.[32]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1980, Neill met actress Lisa Harrow while filming Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and they have a son.[33] He married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989 and they have one daughter together. He also adopted Watanabe's daughter from her first marriage.[34][35] He separated from Watanabe in 2017,[36][37] and dated Australian political journalist Laura Tingle from 2018 to 2021.[38][39][40]

In his early twenties, Neill fathered a son who was placed for adoption. They reunited in 1994.[41]

Neill lives in Alexandra, New Zealand, South Island, and owns a winery called Two Paddocks, consisting of a vineyard at Gibbston and two near Alexandra, all in the Central Otago wine region.[42] His avocation is running Two Paddocks. "I'd like the vineyard to support me but I'm afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business", said Neill,[26] "It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun, and it gets me pissed once in a while."[26] He enjoys sharing his exploits on the farm through social media.[43] He names his farm animals after film-industry colleagues.[44]

Neill supports the New Zealand Labour Party[45] and the Australian Labor Party. He has been a member of the Equity New Zealand trade union since 1979.[46]

In March 2023, Neill revealed that he had been undergoing chemotherapy since March 2022 after being diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, following swollen glands that were first noticed during publicity for Jurassic World Dominion.[47] He stated that the cancer is in remission, but he will require monthly chemotherapy for the rest of his life.[48][47]

Neill used his year away from work while undergoing his cancer treatment to write a memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, published in March 2023.[49][47]

Honours, awards and nominations

[edit]

Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services as an actor.[50] In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM).[51] When knighthoods were returned to the New Zealand royal honours system in 2009, those with DCNZM or higher honours were given the option of converting them into knighthoods. Neill chose not to do this, saying the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far".[52] However, in June 2022, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, granting him the title Sir.[53]

Neill was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Canterbury in 2002.[54] Neill was awarded the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime achievement award, celebrating his distinguished performance career, as well as his leadership and mentoring towards others in the acting industry.[55] In 2020, he received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award, limited to 20 living people.[56]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organizations Category Nominated Work Result
1985 Golden Globes Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Reilly: Ace of Spies Nominated
1989 AACTA Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Evil Angels / A Cry in the Dark Won
AFI - Australian Film Institute Best Actor in a Lead Role Won
1991 Death in Brunswick Nominated
1992 Golden Globes Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television One Against the Wind Nominated
1993 AFI - Australian Film Institute Best Actor in a Supporting Role The Piano Nominated
American Television Awards Best Actor in a Miniseries Family Pictures Nominated
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Supporting Actor Memoirs of an Invisible Man Nominated
1998 Online Film & Television Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Merlin Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Actor Event Horizon Nominated
1999 Golden Globes Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Merlin Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favourite Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance The Horse Whisperer Nominated
2000 AFI - Australian Film Institute Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role My Mother Frank Nominated
2001 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Best Actor The Zookeeper Won
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor - Male The Dish Nominated
2004 AFI - Australian Film Institute Best Telefeature or Mini-Series The Brush-Off Nominated
Best Direction in Television Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama or Comedy Jessica Nominated
2005 Logie Awards TV Week Silver Logie For Most Outstanding Actor Won
Most Outstanding Mini-Series / Telemovie The Brush-Off Nominated
New Zealand Screen Awards Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Perfect Strangers Nominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role Little Fish Nominated
2006 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Supporting Actor on Television The Triangle Nominated
2008 Gemini Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series The Tudors Nominated
Monte-Carlo TV Festival Outstanding Actor - Drama Series Nominated
2009 New Zealand Film and TV Awards / Qantas Film and Television Awards Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film Dean Spanley Nominated
2010 Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film Under the Mountain Nominated
New Zealand Screen Awards Best New Zealand Export Won
2012 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor - Supporting Role The Hunter Nominated
AACTA Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated
2016 The Daughter Nominated
Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actor House of Hancock Nominated
Australian Movie Convention AIMC Lifetime Achievement Award Won
Film Club's The Lost Weekend Awards Best Supporting Actor Hunt for the Wilderpeople Won
2017 New Zealand Film and TV Awards / Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards Won
NCFCA Awards Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Narrator New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands Nominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor - Supporting Role The Daughter Nominated
AFCA Awards Best Supporting Actor Won
2019 Sweet Country Won
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor - Supporting Role Nominated
New Zealand Television Awards - Huawei Mate30 Pro Best Presenter: Entertainment Uncharted / The Pacific: In The Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill Won
AACTA Awards Longford Lyell Award Won
The Equity Ensemble Awards Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award Won
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival Grand Honorary Award Won
2020 AFCA Awards Best Supporting Actor Ride Like a Girl Nominated
AACTA Awards Best Lead Actor Rams Nominated
2022 Best Lead Actor In A Drama The Twelve Nominated
2023 Logie Awards Most Outstanding Actor Nominated
TV Week Silver Logie For Most Popular Actor Won
2025 AACTA Awards Best Lead Actor In A Drama Pending

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1975 Landfall Eric
Ashes Priest
1977 Sleeping Dogs Smith
1979 Just Out of Reach Mike
The Journalist Rex
My Brilliant Career Harry Beecham
1981 Omen III: The Final Conflict Damien Thorn
Possession Mark
From a Far Country: Pope John Paul II Marian
1982 Attack Force Z Sergeant D. J. (Danny) Costello
Enigma Dimitri Vasilikov
1984 The Blood of Others Bergman
The Country Girls Mr Gentleman
1985 Robbery Under Arms Captain Starlight
Plenty Lazar
1986 For Love Alone James Quick
1987 The Umbrella Woman Neville Gifford
1988 Leap of Faith Oscar Ogg Also known as Question of Faith
1988 Evil Angels Michael Chamberlain Won – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Also known as A Cry in the Dark

1989 Dead Calm John Ingram
La Révolution française Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
1990 The Hunt for Red October First Officer Vasily Borodin
Shadow of China TV reporter Credited as John Dermot
1991 Death in Brunswick Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Until the End of the World Eugene Fitzpatrick
1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man David Jenkins Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Hostage John Rennie
1993 The Piano Alisdair Stewart Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jurassic Park Dr. Alan Grant
Sirens Norman Lindsay
1994 Country Life Dr. Max Askey
The Jungle Book Colonel Geofferey Brydon
In the Mouth of Madness John Trent
1995 Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill Narrator
Restoration King Charles II
1996 Children of the Revolution Nine
Victory Mr. Jones
1997 Event Horizon Dr. William Weir
Snow White: A Tale of Terror Lord Fredrick Hoffman
1998 The Horse Whisperer Robert MacLean
Sweet Revenge Henry Bell
1999 Molokai: The Story of Father Damien Walter Murray Gibson
Bicentennial Man 'Sir' Richard Martin
2000 My Mother Frank Professor Mortlock Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Dish Cliff Buxton
The Magic Pudding Sam Sawnoff Voice
2001 Jurassic Park III Dr. Alan Grant
The Zookeeper Ludovic Won – Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2002 Dirty Deeds Ray
Leunig Animated Narrator
2003 Perfect Strangers The Man
2004 Yes Anthony
Wimbledon Dennis Bradbury
2005 Gallipoli Narrator Voice
Little Fish The Jockey
2006 Irresistible Craig
2007 Angel Théo
2008 Dean Spanley Dean Spanley
Skin Abraham Laing
2009 In Her Skin Mr. Reid
Iron Road Alfred Nichol
Under the Mountain Mr. Jones
Daybreakers Charles Bromley
2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Allomere Voice
2011 The Dragon Pearl Chris Chase
The Hunter Jack Mindy Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2012 The Vow Bill Thornton
2013 Escape Plan Dr. Kyrie
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box Otto Luger
2014 United Passions João Havelange
A Long Way Down Minister Crichton Jess's father
2015 Backtrack Duncan Stewart
The Daughter Walter Finch Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople Uncle Hec
Tommy's Honour Alexander Boothby
2017 MindGamers Kreutz
Sweet Country Fred Smith
Thor: Ragnarok Odin Actor Cameo
2018 The Commuter Captain David Hawthorne
Peter Rabbit Mr. McGregor
Tommy Brock (voice)
2019 Palm Beach Leo
Blackbird Paul
Ride Like a Girl Paddy Payne
Take Home Pay Wedding Planner Cameo
2020 Rams Colin
2021 Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal Frankie Scales Voice
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway Tommy Brock
2022 Jurassic World Dominion Dr. Alan Grant
Thor: Love and Thunder Odin Actor
2023 The Portable Door [57] Dennis Tanner
Assassin Club Jonathan Caldwell
Scarygirl Dr. Maybee
Bring Him to Me Frank McCarthy

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1979–1980 The Sullivans Ben Dawson Episodes 519–558
1980 Lucinda Brayford Tony Duff Four-part miniseries
ABC Television, Melbourne Australia
1982 Ivanhoe Brian de Bois-Guilbert Television film
1983 Reilly, Ace of Spies Sidney Reilly 12 episodes
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1985 Kane & Abel William Lowell Kane Miniseries
1986 Strong Medicine Vince Lord Television film
1987 Amerika Colonel Andrei Denisov Miniseries
1991 Fever Eliott Television film
One Against the Wind Sergeant James Liggett Television film
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1993 Family Pictures David Eberlin Television film
The Rainbow Warrior Alan Galbraith
1994 The Simpsons Molloy Voice, episode: "Homer the Vigilante"
1996 In Cold Blood Agent Alvin Dewey Miniseries
1998 Merlin Merlin Miniseries
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
The Games Citytrans CEO Episode: "Transport"
2000 Sally Hemings: An American Scandal Thomas Jefferson Miniseries
2001 Submerged Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen Television film
2002 Doctor Zhivago Victor Komarovsky Miniseries
Framed Eddie Meyers Television film
2004 Stiff Lionel Merricks
Jessica Richard Runche Miniseries
Logie Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama
2005 The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant Governor Arthur Phillip Miniseries
To the Ends of the Earth Mr. Prettiman
The Triangle Eric Benerall Miniseries
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television
2006 Merlin's Apprentice Merlin Miniseries
Two Twisted Mick Episode: "Von Stauffenberg's Stamp"
2007 The Tudors Cardinal Thomas Wolsey 10 episodes
Nominated – Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series
Nominated – Monte-Carlo Television Festival Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
2008–2010 Crusoe Jeremiah Blackthorn 14 episodes
2009 Happy Town Merritt Grieves 8 episodes
2010 Rake Dr. Bruce Chandler Episode: "R v Chandler"
2011 Ice Anthony Kavanagh Miniseries
2012 Alcatraz Emerson Hauser 13 episodes [58]
2013 Harry Jim "Stocks" Stockton Miniseries
2013–2014 Peaky Blinders Major Chester Campbell 12 episodes
2014 Old School Ted Macabe 8 episodes [59]
House of Hancock Lang Hancock Miniseries [60]
2015 And Then There Were None General John Gordon MacArthur
2016 Tutankhamun Lord Carnavon Miniseries [61]
2019 Rick and Morty Monogatron Leader Voice, episode: "The Old Man and the Seat" [62]
2020 Flack Duncan Paulson Season 2
2021 Invasion Sheriff John Bell Tyson Season 1, Episode 1 [63]
2022–present The Twelve Brett Colby SC Main role: 18 episodes [64][65]
2024 Apples Never Fall Stan Delaney Miniseries: 7 episodes [66]
TBA Untamed Paul Souter In production

Video games

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Lego Jurassic World Alan Grant Archive Audio from the films.
2018 Jurassic World Evolution Voice role, Return to Jurassic Park Expansion
2021 Jurassic World Evolution 2 Voice role, Biosyn Dominion expansion

Behind The Scenes / Making Of

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Making Of 'Daybreakers' Himself / Charles Bromley Documentary Film
2020 Jurassic World Dominion Himself / Dr. Alan Grant

Self appearance

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref
1995 Forgotten Silver Himself Television film
2001 Space Himself Documentary series
2009 bro'Town Himself Voice, episode: "To Sam with Love"
2016 Why Anzac with Sam Neill Himself Documentary, wrote and produced
New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands Narrator Documentary series, 3 episodes
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator
Country Calendar Himself Episode: "Film Noir"
The Graham Norton Show Himself Season 20, Episode 2
2017 Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery Himself Season 5, Episode 1
Get Krack!n Himself Season 1, Episode 1
2018 The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill Himself Documentary series, 6 episodes (known as Captain Cook's Pacific with Sam Neill in the UK) [67][68]
2020 Australian Story Himself Season 25, Episode 10: "His Brilliant Careers"
2021 The Graham Norton Show Himself Season 28, Episode 16
2023 Australian Story Himself Season 28, Episode 26: "His Brilliant Careers (Update) - Sam Neill"
The Project (New Zealand) Himself Interview
The Project (Australia) Himself Interview
2024 T. REX Narrator Documentary Film
Today Himself Episode: 7th March 2024
The Kelly Clarkson Show Himself Season 5, Episode 128
The Assembly Himself / Interviewee Documentary series, 1 episode [69]

Books

[edit]
Year Title Publisher Pages Notes
2023 Did I Ever Tell You This? A Memoir Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company

London: Michael Joseph Ltd.

400 Booktopia's Top 10 Favourite Books, 2024
2024 Did I Ever Tell You This? A Memoir (Fully Revised and updated with new writing) Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company

London: Michael Joseph Ltd.

432
  • Neill, Sam (2023). Did I Ever Tell You This?: A Memoir. London: Michael Joseph Ltd. ISBN 9780241648988. OCLC 1356450549.
  • Neill, Sam (2023). Did I Ever Tell You This?: A Memoir. Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company. ISBN 9781922790309. (Australian edition)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sam Neill on life, love, lymphoma and his brilliant career". 22 April 2023. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024. I've got three citizenships: Irish, British and New Zealand.
  2. ^ "Sam Neill on what he's learned". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 14 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024. I've got three passports. New Zealand, British and Irish
  3. ^ Screen, NZ On. "Sam Neill | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Revel in the versatile charm of Sam Neill". SBS Movies. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Sam Neill in Uncharted territory with new series". The New Zealand Herald. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. ^ Yasharoff, Hannah (25 September 2019). "Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill to return for 'major roles' in 'Jurassic World 3'". USA Today. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  7. ^ Awards for Sam Neill at IMDb
  8. ^ Gossling, Kahla Preston and Bronte (30 July 2023). "Sam Neill wins most popular actor silver Logie: 'I think there has been a mistake'". Stuff. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  9. ^ Beck, Chris (2 September 2004). "The interview". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  10. ^ "PERCIVAL CLAY NEILL Biography – Dunedin". Northern Cemetery. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  11. ^ Scott, Louise (6 January 2016). ""New cellar door pops up in Neill's life"". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  12. ^ Jung, Susan (21 April 2013). "My life: Sam Neill". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  13. ^ Condon, Eileen (8 May 2001). "Dishy Sam's got space aspirations; For an actor fascinated by space travel Sam Neill must have thought he'd landed a dream role with his new film, The Dish. The Omagh-born actor talks to Eileen Condon about his latest role". The News Letter. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  14. ^ Beech, James (4 March 2014). "Vineyard named in honour of father". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  15. ^ Wilson, Annabel (21 November 2017). "Obituary: Otago businessman Robert Wilson remembered as food industry pioneer". Stuff (company). Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  16. ^ Neill 2023, pp. 45, 46.
  17. ^ a b "Sam Neill". Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. Episode 45. Australia. 7 June 2004. ABC. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  18. ^ Grams, Erika. "Sam Neill – FAQ". Ibiblio.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  19. ^ "Nigel, Neville??". Lexigame.com. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  20. ^ Neill 2023, pp. 86–89.
  21. ^ Neill 2023, pp. 90–93.
  22. ^ "Landfall – A Film about Ourselves | Television | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e For Your Consideration: Sam Neill for the FANGORIA Hall of Fame! Archived 22 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Fangoria.com, 11 January 2015.
  24. ^ Neill's New Year greeting to Sweden 2022
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