Sam Neill
132 movies · 42 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 14, 1947
- Died
- Jul 13, 2026 (age 78)
- Place of birth
- Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK
- Also known as
- 山姆·尼尔 · 萨姆·尼尔 · سم نیل · Nigel Neill
Biography
Sir Nigel John Dermot 'Sam' Neill (September 14, 1947 – July 13, 2026) was a New Zealand actor. His career 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 (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 Dominion (2022).
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Outside of film, Neill 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 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 received 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 had three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy nominations. He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor at the 2023 Logies.
Neill passed away at age 78 on 13 July 2026, in Sydney, Australia. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that he remained cancer free.
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Known for
Sam Neill: movies and TV shows
Acting (168)
- Upcoming The Fox
as The Magpie (voice)
- Upcoming
- Upcoming
- Upcoming Mystery Ride
as Duncan Connelly
- Upcoming The Last Resort
as Gerard
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023 Bring Him to Me
as Frank
- 2023 Scarygirl
as Dr. Maybee (voice)
- 2023 The Portable Door
as Dennis Tanner
- 2023 Assassin Club
as Caldwell
- 2022 Thor: Love and Thunder
as Actor Odin
- 2022
- 2022 Voice Activated
as Audiobook Narrator (voice)
- 2022 Jurassic World Dominion
as Alan Grant
- 2021
- 2021 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
as Tommy Brock (voice)
- 2021 Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal
as Frankie Scales (voice)
- 2020 Rams
as Colin
- 2020 Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story
as Narrator (voice)
- 2020 Sea Lions: Life By a Whisker
as Narrator (voice)
- 2019 Ride Like a Girl
as Paddy Payne
- 2019 Blackbird
as Tom
- 2019 Palm Beach
as Leo
- 2019
- 2018 Peter Rabbit
as Mr. McGregor / Tommy Brock (voice)
- 2018 Sweet Country
as Fred Smith
- 2018 The Commuter
as Captain Hawthorne
- 2017 Thor: Ragnarok
as Actor Odin
- 2017 Tommy's Honour
as Alexander Boothby
- 2017
- 2016
- 2016 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands
as Narrator (voice)
- 2016
- 2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople
as Hec
- 2015
- 2015 The Daughter
as Walter
- 2015 MindGamers
as Kreutz
- 2015 Backtrack
as Duncan Stewart
- 2015
- 2015
- 2015
- 2014 United Passions
as Joao Havelange
- 2014
- 2014 A Long Way Down
as Chris Crichton
- 2013 The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box
as Otto Luger
- 2013
- 2013 Escape Plan
as Dr. Kyrie
- 2013
- 2013 The Ordained
as Governor Michael Thomas Riley
- 2013
- 2012 The Vow
as Bill Thornton
- 2012
- 2011 The Hunter
as Jack Mindy
- 2011 The Dragon Pearl
as Chris Chase
- 2011 Ice
as Anthony Kavanagh
- 2011
- 2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
as Allomere (voice)
- 2010
- 2010 Daybreakers
as Charles Bromley
- 2009 Under the Mountain
as Mr. Jones
- 2009
- 2009 Skin
as Abraham Laing
- 2009 Iron Road
as Alfred Nichol
- 2009 In Her Skin
as Mr. Reid
- 2009 The Man in the Hat
as Reader of Correspondence
- 2008 Dean Spanley
as Dean Spanley
- 2008
- 2008 Verity Lambert: Drama Queen
as Narrator
- 2007 The Pixar Story
as Alan Grant (archive footage)
- 2007
- 2007 Angel
as Théo
- 2006
- 2006 Irresistible
as Craig
- 2006
- 2006 Voyage of the Nautilus
as Hubert Wilkins
- 2005
- 2005
- 2005 Yes
as Anthony
- 2005 Little Fish
as The Jockey
- 2005
- 2005 Gallipoli
as Narrator
- 2004 Colin McCahon: I Am
as Narrator
- 2004 Wimbledon
as Dennis Bradbury
- 2004 Jessica
as Richard Runche
- 2004
- 2004 Stiff
as Lionel Merricks
- 2003 Perfect Strangers
as Man
- 2002
- 2002 Dirty Deeds
as Ray
- 2002 Framed
as Eddie Meyers
- 2001 The Zookeeper
as Ludovic
- 2001 SuperCroc
as narrator
- 2001 Jurassic Park III
as Dr. Alan Grant
- 2001 Submerged
as Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen
- 2000 The Magic Pudding
as Sam Sawnoff (voice)
- 2000 The Dish
as Cliff Buxton - Dish Master
- 2000 My Mother Frank
as Professor Mortlock
- 2000 Sally Hemings: An American Scandal
as Thomas Jefferson
- 2000
- 1999 Bicentennial Man
as Sir
- 1999 Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
as Prime Minister Gibson
- 1998
- 1998 The Revengers' Comedies
as Henry Bell
- 1998
- 1998 The Horse Whisperer
as Robert MacLean
- 1997 Event Horizon
as Weir
- 1997 Snow White: A Tale of Terror
as Lord Friedrich Hoffman
- 1997 The Rainbow Warrior
as Chief Inspector Alan Galbraith
- 1996 Children of the Revolution
as David 'Dave' Hoyle, aka Agent 'Nine'
- 1996 Victory
as Mr. Jones
- 1996
- 1995 Restoration
as King Charles II
- 1995 Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill
as Narrator / Host
- 1995 In the Mouth of Madness
as John Trent
- 1994 The Jungle Book
as Colonel Geofferey Brydon
- 1994 Country Life
as Dr. Max Askey
- 1994 Sirens
as Norman Lindsay
- 1993 Split Enz: Spellbound
as Narrator
- 1993 Jurassic Park
as Grant
- 1993 The Piano
as Alisdair Stewart
- 1993
- 1992 Hostage
as John Rennie
- 1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man
as David Jenkins
- 1991 One Against the Wind
as Major James Leggatt, The Guards
- 1991 Until the End of the World
as Eugene Fitzpatrick
- 1991 Fever
as Elliot
- 1991 Death in Brunswick
as Carl
- 1990 Shadow of China
as TV Reporter
- 1990 The Hunt for Red October
as Capt. 2nd Vasily Borodin
- 1989
- 1989 The French Revolution
as Marquis de Lafayette
- 1989 Dead Calm
as John Ingram
- 1988 Evil Angels
as Michael Chamberlain
- 1988 Question of Faith
as Oscar Ogg
- 1987 The Good Wife
as Neville Gifford
- 1987
- 1986 For Love Alone
as James Quick
- 1986
- 1986 Strong Medicine
as Vince Lord
- 1985
- 1985 Plenty
as Lazar
- 1985 Robbery Under Arms
as Capt. Starlight
- 1984 The Blood of Others
as Bergman
- 1983 The Country Girls
as Mr. Gentleman
- 1983
- 1982 Enigma
as Dimitri Vasilikov
- 1982 Attack Force Z
as Sergeant Costello
- 1982 Ivanhoe
as Brian de Bois-Guilbert
- 1981 From a Far Country
as Marian
- 1981 Possession
as Mark
- 1981 The Final Conflict
as Damien Thorn
- 1980
- 1979 The Journalist
as Rex
- 1979 Just Out Of Reach
as Mike
- 1979 My Brilliant Career
as Harry Beecham
- 1978 Surf Sail
as Narrator (voice)
- 1978 Sleeping Dogs
as Smith
- 1977
- 1977 Architect Athfield
as Narrator
- 1976
- 1975 Four Shorts on Architecture
as Narrator (voice)
- 1975 Ashes
as Priest
- 1975 Landfall
as Eric
- 1973 Hunt's Duffer
as Bradley
- 1972 The Water Cycle
as Hydro enthusiast
- 1971 The City of No
as The neighbour
- 1951
Behind the camera (11)
- 2004 The Brush-Off
Producer, Director
- 2004 Stiff
Producer
- 1995 Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill
Director, Writer
- 1979 On the Road with Red Mole
Director, Writer
- 1978 Surf Sail
Director
- 1978 New Country - New People
Director
- 1977 Flare - A Ski Trip
Director
- 1977 Architect Athfield
Director
- 1975 Four Shorts on Architecture
Editor, Writer, Director
- 1974 Phone
Editor, Director, Writer
- 1973 The Sealhunters
Editor
Talk shows and appearances (39)
- 2025
- 2024 The Assembly
1 episode
- 2024
- 2022
- 2021
- 2021 The Real Hunt for Red October
2 episodes
- 2021 Russell Howard Stands Up to the World
1 episode
- 2020 Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story
3 episodes
- 2019 The Movies That Made Us
1 episode
- 2019
- 2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show
1 episode
- 2018 The Pacific: In The Wake of Captain Cook
6 episodes
- 2018 Anika Moa Unleashed
13 episodes
- 2017 Get Krack!n
1 episode
- 2017
- 2015
- 2013
- 2013 Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery
1 episode
- 2011 The Story of Film: An Odyssey
1 episode
- 2011
- 2010
- 2007 The Graham Norton Show
2 episodes
- 2006
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2001
- 2001 Richard & Judy
1 episode
- 2001 Space
6 episodes
- 2000
- 2000
- 1999 Rove
1 episode
- 1997
- 1996 Australian Story
2 episodes
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1990
- 1971 Film '72
1 episode