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Sam Neill
Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Nigel John Dermot Neill 14 September 1947 (1947-09-14) (age 62) Omagh, Northern Ireland, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–Present
Spouse(s)	Lisa Harrow (Unknown–c.1989) 2 children Noriko Watanabe (September 1989–present) 1 child

Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor.

He is perhaps best known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. He has also had a number of high-profile roles including: the lead in Reilly, Ace of Spies, the adult Damien in Omen III: The Final Conflict, Merlin in the miniseries Merlin, the executive officer, Capt 2nd Class Vasily Borodin in The Hunt for Red October, Lord Friedrich Hoffman in Snow White: A Tale of Terror, and Alisdair Stewart in The Piano.

Most recently he played Cardinal Wolsey in the Peace Arch Entertainment production for Showtime, The Tudors.

Early life

Neill was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the second son of Dermot Neill, a Harrow and Sandhurst-educated army officer and third generation New Zealander, and his English wife, Priscilla.^[1] At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving with the Irish Guards.^[2] The family were the owners of Neill and Co., the largest liquor retailers in New Zealand.

Neill returned with his family to New Zealand in 1954, where he attended the Anglican boys' boarding school Christ's College, in Christchurch. He then went on to study English literature at the University of Canterbury, where he had his first exposure to acting. While at Canterbury University he resided at College House (University of Canterbury),^[3] where he held the position of Chief Castigator and Crime Crusher (CCACC). He then moved to Wellington to continue his tertiary education at Victoria University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.

In 2004 on Australian talk show Enough Rope, interviewer Andrew Denton briefly touched on the issue of Sam's "very bad" stuttering. It affected most of his childhood and as a result he was "hoping that people wouldn't talk to [him]" so he wouldn't have to answer back. He has mostly outgrown it, however he claims it can still be detected to this day.^[4]

He first took to calling himself "Sam", in school in New Zealand where there were other Nigels, and the phrases "a real Nigel" and "Nigel No-mates" were commonly used to refer to a sad loner.^[5][6][7]

Acting career

After working at the New Zealand National Film Unit as a director and actor, Neill was cast as the lead in the New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs. Following this he appeared in the Australian classic, My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis. This appearance led to his being selected to play Damien Thorn in Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981, one of the sequels to The Omen. In the late-1970s his mentor was the notable British actor James Mason.

Neill has played heroes and villains in a succession of film and television dramas and comedies. In the UK, he became well-known in the early-1980s, starring in dramas such as Ivanhoe and notably in the title role of Reilly, Ace of Spies. Neill is known for his leading and co-starring roles in major films including Dead Calm (1989), La révolution française (1989) playing the famous Lafayette, The Hunt for Red October (1990), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), The Piano (1993), Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), Event Horizon (1997), The Dish (2000), and Jurassic Park III (2001). The film Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995) was written and directed by Sam Neill and Judy Rymer. In it Neill narrated his personal recollection of New Zealand film history. Neill was asked to play the role of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, but turned it down because of his contractual obligations to another film, namely, Jurassic Park III (2001). He hosted and narrated a series of documentaries for BBC entitled Space (Hyperspace in the United States) in 2002.

In 2006, Neill also lent his voice to a series of radio ads for Fifth Third Bank in the midwestern U.S.

Neill also appeared in Merlin (1998), a film based on the legend of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake, portraying the legendary wizard. He also reprised his role as Merlin in the film's not-so-well received sequel, Merlin's Apprentice (2006), in which Merlin learns he fathered a son with the Lady of the Lake.

He also starred in the historical drama The Tudors, playing Cardinal Wolsey, on the Showtime Network. "I have to say I really enjoyed making The Tudors", Neill said.^[8] “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."^[8]

Neill stars as Mr Jones in Under the Mountain and as Charles Bromley in Daybreakers.^[9]

Personal life

Neill resides in Sydney, Australia and has one son, Tim (born in 1983), by New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, and one daughter, Elena (born in 1991),^[10] by makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, whom he married in 1989. He also has a stepdaughter, Maiko Spencer, (born 1981) who is from Noriko Watanabe's first marriage. He is a supporter of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA). Neill also supports the Australian Labor Party, the New Zealand Labour Party.^[11] Greenpeace, Oxfam, and the World Wildlife Fund. He is a patron of the National Performance Conference. He also donated a pair of jeans to the Jeans for Genes auction; they were painted by artist Merv Moriarty and auctioned off in August 1998.

Neill's hobby is running a vineyard, the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago on New Zealand's South Island.^[8] "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", say Neill.^[8] "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."^[8] Neill also has a home in Wellington New Zealand

Neill is friends with New Zealand musicians Neil Finn and Tim Finn (of Crowded House and Split Enz) and with Australian musician Jimmy Barnes. On a recent trip to New York City he became close friends with two emminent Glaswegian educationalists Mary and Denny Mochan. They were introduced by a mutual friend, Russell Crowe.

He rejected a knighthood when they were returned to the New Zealand Honours System in 2009, saying the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far".^[12]

Neill has a brother, Michael, who is Emeritus Professor of English (Shakespeare, particularly Othello) at the University of Auckland.

Films

• Landfall (1975)
• Ashes (1975)
• Sleeping Dogs (1977)
• My Brilliant Career (1979)
• Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
• Possession (1981)
• Attack Force Z (1982)
• Enigma (1983)
• Blood of Others (1984)
• Plenty (1985)
• The Good Wife (1987)
• A Cry in the Dark (1988)
• Dead Calm (1989)
• La Révolution française (1989)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Death in Brunswick (1991)
• Until the End of the World (1991)
• Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
• The Rainbow Warrior (1992)
• The Piano (1993)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• Country Life (1994)
• The Jungle Book (1994)
• Sirens (1994)
• Victory (1995)
• Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995)
• In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
• Restoration (1995)
• Children of the Revolution (1996)
• Event Horizon (1997)
• Snow White: A Tale Of Terror (1997)
• Sweet Revenge (1998)
• The Horse Whisperer (1998)
• Bicentennial Man (1999)
• The Dish (2000)
• My Mother Frank (2000)
• Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal (2000)
• Jurassic Park III (2001)
• The Zookeeper (2001)
• Dirty Deeds (2002)
• Perfect Strangers (2003)
• Yes (2004)
• Wimbledon (2004)
• Little Fish (2005)
• Irresistible (2006)
• Angel (2007)
• Dean Spanley (2008)
• Iron Road (2008)
• In Her Skin (2009)
• Under The Mountain (2009)
• Skin (2009)
• Daybreakers (2010)

Television

• Ivanhoe (1982)
• Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983)
• Kane and Abel (1985)
• Amerika (TV miniseries) (1987)
• The Simpsons episode 1F09 - "Homer the Vigilante" as Molloy the Cat Burglar (1994)
• Forgotten Silver as Himself (1995)
• In Cold Blood (1996)
• Merlin (1998)
• Space (a.k.a. Hyperspace) (2001)
• Doctor Zhivago (2002)
• Framed (2002)
• Stiff (2004)
• Jessica (2004)
• To the Ends of the Earth (2005)
• The Triangle (2005)
• Merlin's Apprentice (2006)
• Two Twisted (2006)
• The Tudors (2007) as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
• Crusoe (2008)
• Bro Town (2009)
• Happy Town (2009)

Award nominations

Emmy Awards:

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for: "Merlin" (1998)

Golden Globe Awards:

• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: "Merlin" (1998)
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: "One Against the Wind"
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: "Reilly: Ace of Spies" (1983)

Personal quotes

"Of all the characters I've played, I think I have more in common with that guy than with "Reilly: Ace of Spies" (1983) (mini) referring to Carl Fitzgerald in Death in Brunswick (1991). Who Weekly (NZ) 8/23/93.

Referring to the Simpsons: "I'm playing a cat burglar. I've made it. This is the high point of my career. I'm really chuffed." EW, 7/23/93.

"I got an Irish passport the other day. I love it. It's the best thing in my pocket." The Irish Times, 12/13/2008.

See also

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

External links

• Sam Neill at the Internet Movie Database
• Two Paddocks official website

From Wikiquote

Sam Neill, OBE (born Nigel John Dermot Neill on 14 September 1947) is a British-born, New Zealand film and television actor, and owner of the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago.

Quotes

• As much as possible, I try to encourage people to use stunt men because that is really their job.

• I can tell you where I was when Kennedy was shot - which was in the common room at school. I heard about it on the old valve radio. At the time of Armstrong's landing, I was at university rehearsing a play.

• I don't think I really have the insight or the inquiring to be an astronomer, and I don't think I have the wherewithal to be an astronaut. But if I had to choose which one I'd like to be, it would be the astronaut. I think it would be a wonderful thing to try.

• I enjoy some physical stuff. But if I had a choice between playing a scene where it's raining, it's terribly cold, I'm wet and I'm being drowned and playing a scene with dinosaur eggs in a laboratory, I'd probably take the latter. It's warmer and generally more comfortable!

• I go by the role pretty much. And I think the only genre I haven't gotten to do but I'd love to is a western, but no one has ever asked me to do that. Unfortunately they are very few and far between these days, but that is one type of film I'd love to do.

• I love the fact that you can't tell pinot noir what to do; it has to express itself. And it's always just beyond your grasp. If you do manage to get a hold of it, it's only for a fleeting moment.

• I'm not big on champagne, but I'd take along a bottle of Cristal to pop for when the boat comes to the rescue.

• I'm playing a cat burglar. I've made it. This is the high point of my career. I'm really chuffed.
  • Referring to his role on The Simpsons

• It's fairly hard to find gay drug dealers that aren't locked up or dead, or 23, so it's fairly oblique research. But I have some good contacts, not in the gay drug world but in the legal world, who spun me in the right direction.

• I've had the last four or five weeks off, and I'm at the vineyards most days. I'm kind of wasting my manager's time by pretending I know more than I do. Occasionally they let me loose on the ride-on mower, which is my principal contribution to the hands-on business. There comes a time in every man's life when certain things become inevitable. There's the ride-on mower, the prostate problems and pyjamas. I'm glad to say that the prostate isn't worrying me yet, but I have taken to pyjamas with considerable enthusiasm in the past couple of years. Stripey ones.

• I've worked all my life to shed myself of any character.

• The animatronics now are certainly more lifelike than before. They've advanced in exactly the same was as the CGI has. It is all really out of my area of expertise, but it definitely made my job a lot easier to act to something that was a lot more expressive, more real.

• There's part of me that loves travelling. And there's part of me that just loves staying home. It's a double-edged sword.

• They're so lifelike, I became curiously fond of them. There was one little female velociraptor who had a cute haircut, but it was never anything more than holding hands - holding claws.

• When I started in films, it never really occurred to me that I could make a career out of acting.

• When you hear actors say, 'Oh, I did all my own stunts,' it is usually crap! It's one thing jumping into water or whatever, but the real stunts are more properly done by stunt men. And it is too financially risky to have actors risk their necks, isn't it?

External links

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Sam Neill