
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 Award — Best Actor in a Leading Role · 1989
Filmography50+ titles

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands

Rick and Morty

Peaky Blinders

Jurassic Park

The Simpsons

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal

The Tudors

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

Thor: Ragnarok

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

The Pixar Story

And Then There Were None

The French Revolution

Dean Spanley

The Hunt for Red October

The Movies That Made Us

Ride Like a Girl

Bicentennial Man

Possession

Untamed

The Vow

The Graham Norton Show

In the Mouth of Madness

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

Invasion

Mary Bryant

Gallipoli

Reilly: Ace of Spies

Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story

Scarygirl

Merlin

The Horse Whisperer

Blackbird

Flack

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Crusoe

A Cry in the Dark

Peter Rabbit

Escape Plan

Doctor Zhivago

Until the End of the World

Jurassic World: Dominion

Sweet Country

Tommy's Honour

The Hunter

The Zookeeper

Event Horizon

Dead Calm

The Portable Door

Thor: Love and Thunder