Sam Neill

Last updated

Sir
Sam Neill
Sam Neill 2022 (cropped).jpg
Neill in December 2022
Born
Nigel John Dermot Neill

(1947-09-14) 14 September 1947 (age 76)
Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Citizenship
  • New Zealand
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1970–present
Spouse
Noriko Watanabe
(m. 1989;sep. 2017)
Children4

Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill KNZM OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one of the most versatile actors of his generation. [1] [2]

Contents

Born in Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Neill moved to Christchurch with his family in 1954. [3] He first achieved recognition with his appearance in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs , 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), [4] a role that he reprises 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), starring as Merlin in Merlin (1998) Merlin's Apprentice (2006) and Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders (2013–2014). He has presented and narrated several documentaries.

Neill is the recipient of 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. [5] He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor [6] at the 2023 Logies.

Early life

Northern Ireland

Neill was born on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to Priscilla Beatrice (née Ingham) and Dermot Neill. His father, an army officer, was a second-generation New Zealander, while his mother was English. [7]

His great-grandfather Percival "Percy" Neill left Belfast, Ireland, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, joining a firm of merchants. Four years later, in 1863, he moved to New Zealand, settling in Dunedin. He was the son of a wine merchant importing wine from France. [8] [9] [10]

At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. [11] His father's family owned Neill and Co. (later part of the listed hospitality group Wilson Neill). [12] [13]

New Zealand

In 1954, Neill moved with his family to New Zealand, where he attended the Anglican boys' boarding school Christ's College, Christchurch. He went on to study English literature at the University of Canterbury, where he had his first exposure to acting. He moved to Wellington to continue his tertiary education at Victoria University, where he graduated with a BA in English literature.

In 2004, on the Australian talk show Enough Rope , interviewer Andrew Denton briefly touched on the topic of Neill's stuttering. 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. He also stated, "I kind of outgrew it. I can still ... you can still detect me as a stammerer." [14]

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". [14] [15] [16]

Acting career

New Zealand

Stills from Landfall - A Film About Ourselves (1974) Sam Neill- Landfall - A Film About Ourselves (1974) (20937182478).jpg
Stills from Landfall – A Film About Ourselves (1974)

Neill's first film was a New Zealand television film The City of No (1971). He followed it with a short, The Water Cycle (1972) and the television film Hunt's Duffer (1973). Neill wrote and directed a film for the New Zealand National Film Unit, Telephone Etiquette (1974). He also appeared in Landfall (1975). [17]

Neill's breakthrough performance in New Zealand was the film Sleeping Dogs (1977), the first local film to be widely screened abroad.

Australia

Neill went to Australia where he had a guest role on the TV show The Sullivans . He was the romantic male lead in My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis, which was a big international success.

He made some Australian films that were less widely seen: The Journalist (1979), Just Out of Reach (1979) and Attack Force Z (1981), and appeared in television productions such as Young Ramsay and Lucinda Brayford .

International career

Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival SamNeill08TIFF.jpg
Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

In 1981, he won his first big international role, as Damien Thorn, son of the devil, in Omen III: The Final Conflict ; [18] also in that year, he played an outstanding main role in Andrzej Żuławski's cult film Possession . [18]

The 1982 film of Ivanhoe made Neill a local celebrity in Sweden, where it has been aired on SVT every New Years Day for 40 years. [19]

He was one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore in the role of James Bond, but lost out to Timothy Dalton. Among his many Australian roles is playing Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels (1988) (released as A Cry in the Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand), [20] a film about the case of Azaria Chamberlain.

Neill has played heroes and occasionally villains in a succession of film and television dramas and comedies. In the UK, he won early fame and was Golden Globe nominated after portraying real-life spy, Sidney Reilly, in the mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). An early American starring role was in 1987's Amerika, playing a senior KGB officer leading the occupation and division of a defeated United States. His leading and co-starring roles in films include the thriller Dead Calm (1989), [18] the two-part historical epic La Révolution française (1989) (as Marquis de Lafayette), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Death in Brunswick (1990), [18] Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), the comedy The Dish (2000), [18] and Jurassic Park III (2001).

Neill has occasionally acted in New Zealand films, including The Piano (1993), Perfect Strangers (2003), Under the Mountain (2009), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). He returned to directing in 1995 with the documentary Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995) which he wrote and directed with Judy Rymer.

In 1993, he co-starred with Anne Archer in Question 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 in The Magic Pudding . In 2001, he hosted and narrated a documentary series for the BBC entitled Space (Hyperspace in the United States).

He portrayed the eponymous wizard in Merlin (1998), a miniseries based on the legends of King Arthur. He reprised his role in the sequel, Merlin's Apprentice (2006).

Neill starred in the historical drama The Tudors, playing Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. "I have to say I really enjoyed making The Tudors", he said, [21] "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." [21]

Neill at Burghound Asia in Singapore in 2011 Sam Neill at Burghound Asia in Singapore.jpg
Neill at Burghound Asia in Singapore in 2011

He acted in the short-lived Fox TV series Alcatraz (2012) as Emerson Hauser. He played the role of Otto Luger in the fantasy adventure film The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box [22] (2014). He had a role in the BBC series Peaky 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 on Churchill's orders. In the 2015 BBC TV miniseries And Then There Were None , based on Agatha Christie's thriller, he played the role of General MacArthur.

In 2016, he starred in the New Zealand-made film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople , directed by Taika Waititi, as well as the ITV miniseries Tutankhamun . In 2017, Neill appeared in a scene in Waititi's fantasy sequel Thor: Ragnarok , in which he portrays an actor playing Odin (as depicted by Anthony Hopkins), alongside Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon as actors playing Thor and Loki, respectively. He portrays the same actor in Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022.

In 2018, he portrayed Mr. McGregor and also provided the voice of Tommy Brock, in Peter Rabbit . In 2019, he was cast for the role of Denis Goldberg in Escape from Pretoria ; however, the role was subsequently recast with Ian Hart. In late 2019, he was announced to reprise his character of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic World Dominion , which released in July 2022. [23]

In 2022 Neill appeared in Foxtel legal drama The 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 1 cast to do so. [24]

Personal life

In 1980, Neill met actress Lisa Harrow while filming Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) and they have a son. [25] Neill subsequently married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989 and they have one daughter together. He also adopted Watanabe's daughter from her first marriage. [26] [27] Neill separated from Watanabe in 2017, [28] [29] and as of early 2018 was reportedly dating Australian political journalist Laura Tingle. [30] [31]

In his early twenties, Neill fathered a son who was placed for adoption. They reunited in 1994. [32]

Neill lives in Alexandra, New Zealand, South Island, and owns a winery called Two Paddocks, consisting of a vineyard at Gibbston and two near Alexandra, all in the Central Otago wine region. [33] 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, [21] "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." [21] He enjoys sharing his exploits on the farm through social media. [34] He names his farm animals after film-industry colleagues. [35]

Neill supports the New Zealand Labour Party [36] and the Australian Labor Party. He has been a member of the Equity New Zealand trade union since 1979. [37]

In March 2023, Neill revealed that he had been undergoing chemotherapy since March 2022 after being diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, following swollen glands that were first noticed during publicity for Jurassic World Dominion. [38] He stated that the cancer is in remission, but he will require monthly chemotherapy for the rest of his life. [39] [38]

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. [40] [38]

Honours and awards

Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services as an actor. [41] In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM). [42] When knighthoods were returned to the New Zealand royal honours system in 2009, those with DCNZM or higher honours were given the option of converting them into knighthoods. Neill chose not to do this, saying the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far". [43] However, in June 2022, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, granting him the title Sir. [44]

Neill was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Canterbury in 2002. [45] 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. [46] In 2020, he received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award, limited to 20 living people. [47]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1975 Landfall Eric
AshesPriest
1977 Sleeping Dogs Smith
1979 Just Out of Reach Mike
The Journalist Rex
My Brilliant Career Harry Beecham
1981 Omen III: The Final Conflict Damien Thorn
Possession Mark
From a Far CountryMarian
1982 Attack Force Z Sergeant D. J. (Danny) Costello
Enigma Dimitri Vasilikov
1984 The Blood of Others Bergman
The Country Girls Mr Gentleman
1985 Robbery Under Arms Captain Starlight
Plenty Lazar
1986 For Love Alone James Quick
1987 The Umbrella Woman Neville Gifford
1988Leap of FaithOscar OggAlso known as Question of Faith
1988 Evil Angels Michael ChamberlainWon – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

Also known as A Cry in the Dark

1989 Dead Calm John Ingram
La Révolution française Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
1990 The Hunt for Red October First Officer Vasily Borodin
Shadow of China TV reporterCredited as John Dermot
1991 Death in Brunswick Carl 'Cookie' FitzgeraldNominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Until the End of the World Eugene Fitzpatrick
1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man David JenkinsNominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
HostageJohn Rennie
1993 The Piano Alisdair StewartNominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jurassic Park Dr. Alan Grant
Sirens Norman Lindsay
1994 Country Life Dr. Max Askey
The Jungle Book Colonel Geofferey Brydon
In the Mouth of Madness John Trent
1995 Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill Narrator
Restoration King Charles II
1996 Children of the Revolution Nine
Victory Mr. Jones
1997 Event Horizon Dr. William Weir
Snow White: A Tale of Terror Lord Fredrick Hoffman
1998 The Horse Whisperer Robert MacLean
Sweet Revenge Henry Bell
1999 Molokai: The Story of Father Damien Walter Murray Gibson
Bicentennial Man 'Sir' Richard Martin
2000 My Mother Frank Professor MortlockNominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Dish Cliff Buxton
The Magic Pudding Sam SawnoffVoice
2001 Jurassic Park III Dr. Alan Grant
The Zookeeper LudovicWon – Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor
2002 Dirty Deeds Ray
Leunig AnimatedNarrator
2003 Perfect Strangers The Man
2004 Yes Anthony
Wimbledon Dennis Bradbury
2005 Gallipoli NarratorVoice
Little Fish The Jockey
2006 Irresistible Craig
2007 Angel Théo
2008 Dean Spanley Dean Spanley
Skin Abraham Laing
2009 In Her Skin Mr. Reid
Iron Road Alfred Nichol
Under the Mountain Mr. Jones
Daybreakers Charles Bromley
2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole AllomereVoice
2011 The Dragon Pearl Chris Chase
The Hunter Jack MindyNominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2012 The Vow Bill Thornton
2013 Escape Plan Dr. Kyrie
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box Otto Luger
2014 United Passions João Havelange
A Long Way Down Minister CrichtonJess's father
2015 Backtrack Duncan Stewart
The Daughter Walter FinchNominated – AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople Uncle Hec
Tommy's Honour Alexander Boothby
2017 MindGamers Kreutz
Sweet Country Fred Smith
Thor: Ragnarok Odin ActorCameo
2018 The Commuter Captain David Hawthorne
Peter Rabbit Mr. McGregor
Tommy Brock (voice)
2019 Palm Beach Leo
Blackbird Paul
Ride Like a Girl Paddy Payne
Take Home PayWedding PlannerCameo
2020 Rams Colin
2021 Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal Frankie ScalesVoice
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway Tommy BrockVoice
2022 Jurassic World Dominion Dr. Alan Grant
Thor: Love and Thunder Odin Actor
2023 The Portable Door [48] Dennis Tanner
Assassin Club Jonathan Caldwell
Scarygirl Dr. Maybee
Bring Him to Me

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979–1980 The Sullivans Ben DawsonEpisodes 519–558
1980 Lucinda Brayford Tony DuffFour-part miniseries
ABC Television, Melbourne Australia
1982 Ivanhoe Brian de Bois-GuilbertTelevision film
1983 Reilly, Ace of Spies Sidney Reilly 12 episodes
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1985 Kane & Abel William Lowell KaneMiniseries
1986 Strong Medicine Vince LordTelevision film
1987 Amerika Colonel Andrei DenisovMiniseries
1991 Fever EliottTelevision film
One Against the WindSergeant James LiggettTelevision film
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
1993 Family Pictures David EberlinTelevision film
The Rainbow Warrior Alan GalbraithTelevision film
1994 The Simpsons MolloyVoice, episode: "Homer the Vigilante"
1995 Forgotten Silver HimselfTelevision film
1996 In Cold Blood Agent Alvin Dewey Miniseries
1998 Merlin Merlin Miniseries
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film
The Games Citytrans CEOEpisode: "Transport"
2000 Sally Hemings: An American Scandal Thomas Jefferson Miniseries
2001 Space HimselfDocumentary series
SubmergedLt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen Television film
2002 Doctor Zhivago Victor KomarovskyMiniseries
FramedEddie MeyersTelevision film
2004StiffLionel MerricksTelevision film
Jessica Richard RuncheMiniseries
Logie Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama
2005 The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant Governor Arthur Phillip Miniseries
To the Ends of the Earth Mr. PrettimanMiniseries
The Triangle Eric BenerallMiniseries
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television
2006 Merlin's Apprentice MerlinMiniseries
Two Twisted MickEpisode: "Von Stauffenberg's Stamp"
2007 The Tudors Cardinal Thomas Wolsey 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
2008–2010 Crusoe Jeremiah Blackthorn14 episodes
2009 Happy Town Merritt Grieves8 episodes
bro'Town HimselfVoice, episode: "To Sam with Love"
2010 Rake Dr. Bruce ChandlerEpisode: "R v Chandler"
2011IceAnthony KavanaghMiniseries
2012 Alcatraz [49] Emerson Hauser13 episodes
2013HarryJim "Stocks" StocktonMiniseries
2013–2014 Peaky Blinders Major Chester Campbell12 episodes
2014 Old School [50] Ted Macabe8 episodes
House of Hancock [51] Lang Hancock Miniseries
2015 And Then There Were None General John Gordon MacArthurMiniseries
2016Why Anzac with Sam NeillHimselfDocumentary, wrote and produced
New Zealand: Earth's Mythical IslandsNarratorDocumentary series, 3 episodes
Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator
Tutankhamun [52] Lord Carnavon Miniseries
Country Calendar HimselfEpisode: "Film Noir"
2017 Get Krack!n HimselfSeason 1, Episode 1
2018The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill [53] HimselfDocumentary series, 6 episodes (known as Captain Cook's Pacific with Sam Neill in the UK) [54]
2019 Rick and Morty [55] Monogatron LeaderVoice, episode: "The Old Man and the Seat"
2020 Flack Duncan PaulsonSeason 2
2021 Invasion [56] Sheriff John Bell TysonSeason 1, Episode 1
2022- The Twelve [57] [58] Brett Colby SCMain role
2024 Apples Never Fall [59] Stan DelaneyMiniseries

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015 Lego Jurassic World Alan GrantArchive Audio from the films.
2019 Jurassic World Evolution Voice role, Return to Jurassic Park Expansion
2022 Jurassic World Evolution 2 Voice role, Biosyn Dominion expansion

Books

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Jurassic Park III</i> 2001 film by Joe Johnston

Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the final film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, following The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It is also the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, as well as the first not to be based on a novel by Michael Crichton; however, the film features characters and ideas by Crichton. Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter. The plot follows a divorced couple who deceive paleontologist Alan Grant into helping them find their son, who has gone missing on Isla Sorna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieran Culkin</span> American actor (born 1982)

Kieran Kyle Culkin is an American actor. Culkin starred as Roman Roy in the HBO television series Succession from 2018 to 2023, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Alan Grant (<i>Jurassic Park</i>) Fictional character

Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack Horner. Director Steven Spielberg helmed the 1993 film adaptation, and several actors were considered for the role of Grant. It ultimately went to Sam Neill, becoming one of his most popular roles. Spielberg gave the character a dislike of children, and put him in a relationship with Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who is Grant's student in the novel. Sattler, portrayed by Laura Dern, wants to start a family with Grant, who is resistant to the idea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Pratt</span> American actor (born 1979)

Christopher Michael Pratt is an American actor. Pratt rose to prominence in the early 2010s for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series Everwood (2002–2006) and had supporting roles in the films Wanted (2008), Jennifer's Body (2009), Moneyball (2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and Her (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Worthington</span> Australian actor

Samuel Henry John Worthington is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the Avatar franchise, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, and Perseus in Clash of the Titans and its sequel Wrath of the Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Dern</span> American actress (born 1967)

Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Sattler</span> Fictional character

Dr. Ellie Sattler is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation, casting Laura Dern as Sattler and giving the character a more substantial role compared to the novel. She is a paleobotanist in both the novel and its film adaptation. In the novel, she is a student of Dr. Alan Grant. For the film, Spielberg made them a romantic couple, with Sam Neill portraying Grant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dustin Clare</span> Australian actor

Dustin Clare is an Australian actor. He is known for his starring role as Gannicus in the Starz series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned, and as Riley Ward on the series McLeod's Daughters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taika Waititi</span> New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian (born 1975)

Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi, is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He is known for directing quirky comedy films and has expanded his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, as well as two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> American science fiction media franchise

Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to Crichton's novel Jurassic Park before it was published. The book was successful, as was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation. The film received a theatrical 3D re-release in 2013, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A 1995 sequel novel, The Lost World, was followed by a film adaptation in 1997. Subsequent films in the series from Jurassic Park III (2001) onward are not based on novels by Crichton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antony Starr</span> New Zealand actor (born 1975)

Antony Starr is a New Zealand actor. He is best known for his television roles. He played the dual roles of Jethro and Van West in the series Outrageous Fortune (2005–10), Lucas Hood in the Cinemax series Banshee (2013–16), and John/Homelander in the Prime Video series The Boys and its spin-offs (2019–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Goldblum</span> American actor and musician (born 1952)

Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as Jurassic Park (1993) and Independence Day (1996), as well as their sequels.

Sara Wiseman is a New Zealand actress, best known for her roles in the television series Mercy Peak as Dr. Nicky Somerville, A Place to Call Home as Carolyn Bligh and The Cult as Annabelle Willis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Peacocke</span> Australian actor (born 1981)

Stephen Peacocke is an Australian actor, who appeared in theatre productions and portrayed minor roles in television dramas and films, including Suburban Mayhem and All Saints. Peacocke rose to prominence for his portrayal as Darryl Braxton on the television soap opera Home and Away, (2011-2016). For his role he won the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor on two occasions and is regarded as one of the show's most popular characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marta Dusseldorp</span> Australian actress and producer

Marta Dusseldorp is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include BlackJack, Crownies, Jack Irish and A Place to Call Home.

Meyne Wyatt is an Aboriginal Australian actor, known for his stage, film, and television roles.

<i>Bluey</i> (2018 TV series) Australian animated preschool television series

Bluey is an Australian animated preschool television series which premiered on ABC Kids on 1 October 2018. The program was created by Joe Brumm and is produced by Queensland-based company Ludo Studio. It was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the British Broadcasting Corporation, with BBC Studios holding global distribution and merchandising rights. The series made its premiere on Disney Junior in the United States and is released internationally on Disney+.

<i>Jurassic World Dominion</i> 2022 film directed by Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World Dominion is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. It is the sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), the third and final installment in the Jurassic World trilogy, and the sixth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, concluding the storyline that began with Jurassic Park (1993). Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Omar Sy reprise their roles from the previous films, along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill, who appear together for the first time since the original Jurassic Park. New cast members include DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie.

Ian Malcolm (<i>Jurassic Park</i>) Jurassic Park character

Dr. Ian Malcolm is a fictional character from the Jurassic Park franchise created by Michael Crichton and portrayed by Jeff Goldblum. Malcolm is a gifted mathematician who specializes in chaos theory. The character was inspired in part by American historian of science James Gleick and French mathematician Ivar Ekeland. In Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park and its 1993 film adaptation, Malcolm is invited by insurance lawyer Donald Gennaro to notice any problems with John Hammond's dinosaur theme park, Jurassic Park. Malcolm was intended by Crichton to fill in the role of the audience in the scenarios he is put through. Malcolm is a secondary protagonist in the original novel and the main protagonist in the sequel, The Lost World, due to positive fan reception from Goldblum's performance as the character in director Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the original novel.

<i>Rams</i> (2020 film) 2020 Australian film directed by Jeremy Sims

Rams is a 2020 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Jeremy Sims, written by Jules Duncan, and starring Sam Neill, Michael Caton, and Miranda Richardson. It is based on the Icelandic drama film Rams (2015) by Grímur Hákonarson.

References

  1. Screen, NZ On. "Sam Neill | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  2. "Revel in the versatile charm of Sam Neill". SBS Movies. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  3. "Sam Neill in Uncharted territory with new series". The New Zealand Herald. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  4. Yasharoff, Hannah (25 September 2019). "Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill to return for 'major roles' in 'Jurassic World 3'". USA Today . Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  5. Awards for Sam Neill at IMDb
  6. Gossling, Kahla Preston and Bronte (30 July 2023). "Sam Neill wins most popular actor silver Logie: 'I think there has been a mistake'". Stuff. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  7. Beck, Chris (2 September 2004). "The interview". The Age . Melbourne. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  8. "PERCIVAL CLAY NEILL Biography - Dunedin". Northern Cemetery. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  9. Scott, Louise (6 January 2016). ""New cellar door pops up in Neill's life"". Otago Daily Times . Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  10. Jung, Susan (21 April 2013). "My life: Sam Neill". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  11. Condon, Eileen (8 May 2001). "Dishy Sam's got space aspirations; For an actor fascinated by space travel Sam Neill must have thought he'd landed a dream role with his new film, The Dish. The Omagh-born actor talks to Eileen Condon about his latest role". The News Letter. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
  12. Beech, James (4 March 2014). "Vineyard named in honour of father". Otago Daily Times . Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  13. Wilson, Annabel (21 November 2017). "Obituary: Otago businessman Robert Wilson remembered as food industry pioneer". Stuff (company). Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Sam Neill". Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. Episode 45. Australia. 7 June 2004. ABC. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  15. Grams, Erika. "Sam Neill – FAQ". Ibiblio.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  16. "Nigel, Neville??". Lexigame.com. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  17. "Landfall - A Film about Ourselves | Television | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 For Your Consideration: Sam Neill for the FANGORIA Hall of Fame! Archived 22 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine , Fangoria.com, 11 January 2015.
  19. Neill's New Year greeting to Sweden 2022
  20. "A Cry in the Dark (1988) – Release dates". IMDb. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Pam Brown. The West. "A glorious romp through history", 5 February 2008. Archived 12 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  22. Adam Dawtrey (11 April 2012). "Aneurin Barnard tapped for 'Mariah Mundi'" Archived 6 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine . Variety article. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  23. "Jurassic Park trio Laura Dern, Sam Neill, & Jeff Goldblum returning for Jurassic World 3". 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  24. "Western Australia's Largest Production, Sam Neill-Starring 'The Twelve Season 2' Gets Under Way – Global Bulletin". 31 August 2023.
  25. Catherall, Sarah (28 March 2018). "Lisa Harrow reflects on the pivotal moments in her colourful career". The New Zealand Listener. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018.
  26. "Sam Neill: Home at Last". www.twopaddocks.com. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  27. "Sam Neill – Family & Companions". Yahoo!. 10 January 1991. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  28. "Sam Neill's Love Triangle". Woman's Day . 16 October 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  29. "Actor Sam Neill on family, friends, film and his other passion: winemaking". Australian Financial Review. 5 April 2018. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  30. Robin, Myriam (4 February 2018). "Actor Sam Neill and AFR political editor Laura Tingle start dating". The Australian Financial Review . Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  31. "Dailytelegraph.com.au | Subscribe to The Daily Telegraph for exclusive stories". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  32. Wilson, Fiona (11 October 2014). "What I've learnt: Sam Neill". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  33. Scott, Cathy. "Two Paddocks: Our Story". Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  34. "Let's take a moment to appreciate Sam Neill's beautiful, perfect, pig-filled Twitter account". 24 August 2017. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  35. "Meet Taika, the latest Sam Neill's farm animal with a famous name". Stuff. 4 May 2017. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  36. "Sam Neill's Oamaru Speech | Scoop News". Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  37. "Sam Neill wins 2019 Equity NZ lifetime achievement award, presented by Ryman Healthcare; Equity New Zealand" . Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  38. 1 2 3 Clark, Lucy (17 March 2023). "Sam Neill on his new memoir and living with blood cancer: 'I'm not afraid to die, but it would annoy me'". The Guardian.
  39. Clark, Lucy (17 March 2023). "Sam Neill: Jurassic Park actor reveals he is being treated for stage-three blood cancer". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  40. "Sam Neill diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma". BBC News. 17 March 2023.
  41. "No. 52564". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 15 June 1991. p. 30.
  42. "New Year honours list 2007". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 30 December 2006. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  43. "Sir 'just far too grand' for Neill". Otago Daily Times . 1 August 2009. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  44. "Redesignation in the New Zealand Order of Merit". New Zealand Gazette. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  45. "Honorary Graduates" (PDF). University of Canterbury. 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2015.
  46. "Sam Neill wins 2019 Equity NZ lifetime achievement award, presented by Ryman Healthcare; Equity New Zealand" . Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  47. "The 2020 Arts Foundation Icon Award Whakamana Hiranga recipients announced". Scoop Culture. 4 July 2020. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  48. "Filming underway on the Portable Door for Stan | TV Tonight". 25 June 2021.
  49. "Alcatraz | TV Tonight". 11 February 2012.
  50. "ABC announces new crime series, Old School. | TV Tonight". 30 May 2013.
  51. "Sam Neill cast as Lang Hancock | TV Tonight". 18 August 2014.
  52. "Airdate: Tutankhamun | TV Tonight". 25 October 2016.
  53. "The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill". IMDb . 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  54. "Captain Cook's Pacific with Sam Neill". Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  55. Plante, Corey (2 November 2018). "'Rick and Morty' Season 4's First Guest Star Is Almost Too Perfect". Inverse. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  56. "Invasion: Trailer | TV Tonight". 23 September 2021.
  57. "Production to begin on the Twelve for Foxtel | TV Tonight". 25 November 2021.
  58. "Production underway on the Twelve S2 | TV Tonight". 31 August 2023.
  59. "Apples Never Fall: First look images | TV Tonight". 22 December 2023.