Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam"Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His 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.[1][2]
Nigel John Dermot Neill was born inOmagh on 14 September 1947, the son of English mother Priscilla Beatrice (née Ingham) and New Zealand father Dermot Neill.[5] Consequently he has three documented nationalities for New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom.[6][7] His great-grandfather Percival "Percy" Neill had leftBelfast for Australia, joining a firm of merchants inMelbourne. Four years later, in 1863, he moved to New Zealand and settled inDunedin. He was the son of a wine merchant who imported wine from France.[8][9][10] At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving as an officer with theRoyal Irish Fusiliers.[11] His father's family owned Neill and Co. (later part of the listed hospitality group Wilson Neill).[12][13]
In 1954, the Neill family moved to New Zealand and settled in theCashmere suburb of Christchurch.[14] He attended Cashmere Primary School andMedbury School, a private prep school. After a year, his parents and younger sister Juliet moved south to his father's home city ofDunedin. They lived atMacandrew Bay, where the children could roam free in the holidays.[15] 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".[16][17][18] From 1961, he attended theAnglican boys' boarding and day secondary schoolChrist's College in Christchurch.[14] He went on to study at theUniversity of Canterbury but was uncertain about a career, deciding not to follow his father into the army or the family firm. He considered law, but wasted one year when he failed all four law units.[citation needed]
Neill was in several plays, such as playing Theseus inA Midsummer Night's Dream, directed byNgaio Marsh for the Canterbury University Drama Society. He acted in a production ofMarat/Sade byMervyn Thompson, and when another actor dropped out of a Wellington season, Neill replaced him as Jacques Roux.[19] The play was staged atDownstage Theatre. He 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 Canterbury toVictoria University of Wellington to finish hisBachelor of Arts with a philosophy unit, and passed the "logic" paper with some last-minute coaching byJohn Clarke.[citation needed]
Neill playedMacbeth in a university production directed byPhillip Mann, then joined Downstage as a professional paid actor for$25 per week, plus food from the kitchen left over from the meal served to the audience before the show.[20] In 2004, on the Australian talk showEnough Rope, interviewerAndrew Denton briefly touched on the topic of Neill'sstuttering. 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 them. He also stated, "I kind of outgrew it [but] you can still detect me as a stammerer."[16]
Stills fromLandfall – A Film About Ourselves (1974)
Neill's first film was a New Zealand television filmThe City of No (1971). He followed it with a short,The Water Cycle (1972) and the television filmHunt's Duffer (1973). Neill wrote and directed a film for the New ZealandNational Film Unit,Telephone Etiquette (1974). He also appeared inLandfall (1975).[21]
Neill's breakthrough performance in New Zealand was the filmSleeping Dogs (1977), the first local film to be widely screened overseas.
Neill went to Australia where he had a guest role on the TV showThe Sullivans. He was the romantic male lead inMy Brilliant Career (1979), oppositeJudy Davis, which was a big international success.
In 1993, he co-starred withAnne Archer inQuestion 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 inThe Magic Pudding. In 2001, he hosted and narrated a documentary series for the BBC entitledSpace (Hyperspace in the United States).
Neill starred in the historical dramaThe Tudors, playingCardinal Thomas Wolsey. "I have to say I really enjoyed makingThe 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 seriesAlcatraz (2012) as Emerson Hauser. He played the role of Otto Luger in the fantasy adventure filmThe Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box[27] (2014). He had a role in the BBC seriesPeaky 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 onChurchill's orders. In the 2015BBC TV miniseriesAnd Then There Were None, based onAgatha Christie's thriller, he played the role of General MacArthur.
In 2018, he portrayed Mr. McGregor and also provided the voice ofTommy Brock, inPeter Rabbit. In 2019, he was cast for the role of Denis Goldberg inEscape from Pretoria; however, the role was subsequently recast withIan Hart. In late 2019, he was announced to reprise his character of Dr. Alan Grant inJurassic World Dominion, which released in July 2022.[28]
In 2022, Neill appeared in the Foxtel legal dramaThe 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 thatThe 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 onThe Twelve.[31]
On 21 June 2024, Neill was named in the cast for the Netflix dramaUntamed.[32]
In 1980, Neill met actressLisa Harrow while filmingOmen 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 journalistLaura 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 inAlexandra, New Zealand, South Island, and owns a winery calledTwo Paddocks, consisting of a vineyard atGibbston and two nearAlexandra, all in theCentral 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]
In March 2023, Neill revealed that he had been undergoing chemotherapy since March 2022 after being diagnosed with stage 3angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, following swollen glands that were first noticed during publicity forJurassic 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]
Neill was awarded an honoraryDoctor of Letters degree by theUniversity 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 anArts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award, limited to 20 living people.[56]
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
^"Sam Neill on what he's learned".Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 14 May 2016. Archived fromthe original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved4 July 2024.I've got three passports. New Zealand, British and Irish
^ab"Sam Neill".Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. Episode 45. Australia. 7 June 2004. ABC.Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved22 July 2010.
^Grams, Erika."Sam Neill – FAQ". Ibiblio.org.Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved22 July 2010.
^"Nigel, Neville??". Lexigame.com. 5 October 2007.Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved22 July 2010.
^"New Year honours list 2007". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2006.Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved29 August 2020.
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