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Sam Neill

Acting

Born September 14, 1947 · Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK

Also known as 山姆·尼尔 · 萨姆·尼尔 · سم نیل

Biography

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. Born in Northern Ireland to an English mother and New Zealand father, Neill moved to Christchurch with his family in 1954. He first achieved recognition with his appearance in the film Sleeping Dogs (1977), 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), reprising the role in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). Outside of 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). He also starred as the titular character Merlin in Merlin (1998) and Merlin's Apprentice (2006) and as Major Chester Campbell in the first two series of Peaky Blinders (2013–2014). He has presented and narrated several documentaries. Neill receives 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. He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor at the 2023 Logies. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Neill, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit · 2022
  • Sitges Grand Honorary Award · 2019
  • Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit · 2007
  • honorary degree · 2002
  • honorary doctor of the University of Canterbury · 2002
Show all 7 awards →
  • Officer of the Order of the British Empire · 1991
  • AACTA AwardBest Actor in a Leading Role · 1989

Filmography50+ titles

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands

as Narrator (voice)

Rick and Morty

2013as Monogatron Leader (voice)

Peaky Blinders

2013as Major Chester Campbell

Jurassic Park

1993as Grant

The Simpsons

1989as Molloy (voice)

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal

as Thomas Jefferson

The Tudors

2007as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

2011as Self

Thor: Ragnarok

2017as Actor Odin

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2016as Hec

The Pixar Story

2007as Alan Grant (archive footage)

And Then There Were None

2015as General John MacArthur

The French Revolution

1989as Marquis de Lafayette

Dean Spanley

2008as Dean Spanley

The Hunt for Red October

1990as Capt. 2nd Vasily Borodin

The Movies That Made Us

2019as Self

Ride Like a Girl

2019as Paddy Payne

Bicentennial Man

1999as Sir

Possession

1981as Mark

Untamed

2025as Paul Souter

The Vow

2012as Bill Thornton

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self

In the Mouth of Madness

1994as John Trent

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

2021as Tommy Brock (voice)

Invasion

2021as Jim Bell Tyson

Mary Bryant

2005as Governor Arthur Phillip

Gallipoli

2005as Narrator

Reilly: Ace of Spies

1983as Sidney Reilly

Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story

as Self - Narrator

Scarygirl

2023as Dr. Maybee (voice)

Merlin

1998as Merlin

The Horse Whisperer

1998as Robert MacLean

Blackbird

2019as Tom

Flack

2019as Duncan Paulson

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

2010as Allomere (voice)

Crusoe

2008as Jeremiah Blackthorn

A Cry in the Dark

1988as Michael Chamberlain

Peter Rabbit

2018as Mr. McGregor / Tommy Brock (voice)

Escape Plan

2013as Dr. Kyrie

Doctor Zhivago

2002as Victor Ippolitovich Komarovsky

Until the End of the World

1991as Eugene Fitzpatrick

Jurassic World: Dominion

2022as Alan Grant

Sweet Country

2017as Fred Smith

Tommy's Honour

2017as Alexander Boothby

The Hunter

2011as Jack Mindy

The Zookeeper

2001as Ludovic

Event Horizon

1997as Weir

Dead Calm

1989as John Ingram

The Portable Door

2023as Dennis Tanner

Thor: Love and Thunder

2022as Actor Odin