Celebrity Biographies
Sam Neil Biography
| Date of Birth: | 1947, September 14 |
|---|---|
| Years: | 73 years |
| Nation of birth: | New Zealand |
| Height: | 6 feet |
| Name | Sam Neil |
| birth name | Nigel John Dermot Neil |
| Dad | dermot neill |
| Mother | priscilla beatrice |
| Nationality | British, New Zealander |
| Place of birth / city | New Zealand |
| ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Profession | Actor |
| Net worth | $18 million |
| eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Brown |
| face color | fair |
| Famous for | Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession, Merlin, Dead Calm |
| Married to | noriko watanabe |
| Kids | Andrew, Tim, Ellen Neill |
| Divorce | Lisa Harrow |
| Education | Christs College, University of Canterbury, Victoria University |
| Awards | AACTA Awards, Logie Awards |
| Films | Landing and Ashes, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Hunt for the Wild People, The Paino |
| tv show | Lucinda Brayford, Merlin, Reilly, Ace of Spies, The Tudors |
Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actor Nigel John Dermot Neill is known professionally as Sam Neill. He is popular for his performances in films such as Dead Claim , Reilly Ace of Spies and Own III: The Final Conflict . He made his feature film debut in the 1975 film, Landfall and Ashes . As of 2018, he worked as Captain David Hawthorne in The Traveler and voiced Tommy Brock in Peter Rabbit . Neill has been married twice. He has a daughter, a stepdaughter, and two sons from the previous relationship.
Early life and education of Sam Neill
Sam Neill was born Nigel John Dermot Neill on the 14 th September 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland, under the birth sign of Virgo. Neill is British by nationality and is of Caucasian ethnicity. He is the son of Priscilla Beatriz and Dermot Neill (he was an army officer). When he was born, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland serving with the Irish Guards.
In 1954, Neill and his family moved to New Zealand, where he attended Christ’s College, the Anglican boys’ boarding school. He then studied English literature at the University of Canterbury, where he made his first exposure to acting. Subsequently, he graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Victoria.
Neill doesn’t like being called by his name, Nigel because he felt the name means ” a little down for… ‘ a New Zealand playground ‘ Which is why he chooses the name ‘Sam’ at school.
Sam Neil’s career
Sam Neill made his film debut in the 1975 film Landing and Ashes . In 1977, Neill appeared in the title role of the film, Sleeping Dogs which is based on the book Smith’s Dream by CK Stead .
Neill then worked on several films such as The Journalist , Possession , From a Far Country , Ivanhoe , Enigma , Mucho , Just for Love , The Good Wife , Dead Calm , The Piano , Restoration , Victoria , The Plate , Little Fishland , A Long Road down among others. Particularly, he is famous for his roles in:
| Films | Paper | IMDB Rating | cast members |
| Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981) | Damien Thorn | 5.6 | Rossano Brazzi , Lisa Harrow, and Barnaby Holm . |
| Possession (1981) | brand | 7.4 | Jeffery Dean Morgan , Natasha Calis and Madison Davenport . |
| dead calm (1989) | John Ingram | 6.8 | Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane , and Rod Mullinar . |
| The Hunt for Red October (1990) | Captain Vasily Borodin | 7.6 | Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, and Scott Glenn . |
| The piano (1993) | Alisdair Stewart | 7.6 | Holly Hunter , Anna Paquin and Harvey Keitel. |
| wild people hunt (2016) | Uncle Hec | 7.9 | Taika Waititi , Julian Dennison , and Rhys Darby . |
As of 2018, Neill has worked on two films, The Traveler as Captain David Hawthorne and Peter Rabbit as Joe McGregor/Tommy Brock .
T.V. series
Neill made her television debut in 1980 from the miniseries, Lucinda Brayford which is based on a novel by an Australian author, Martin Boyd . Two years later, he worked on the television movie, Ivanhoe . In 1983, he appeared in the miniseries, Reilly, Ace of Spies . His performance in the miniseries was highly appreciated by both fans and critics.
Neill then worked on various television series, America , The Simpsons , In Cold Blood , Stark , The Triangle , Jessica , Crusoe , Happy Town and Old School among others. However, he is popular for:
| T.V. series | Paper | IMDB Rating | cast members |
| Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983) | Sydney Reilly | 8.3 | Norman Rodway , Leo McKern , and Michael Bryant . |
| Merlin (1998) | Merlin | 7.1 | Colin Morgan , Bradley James , Katie McGrath and Angel Coulby. |
| Peaky Blinder (2013-2014) | CI Campbell | 8.8 | Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Helen McCrory and Paul Anderson. |
| The Tudors (2007) | Cardinal Thomas Wolsey | 8.1 | Henry Cavill , Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Natalie Dormer. |
His latest TV series includes Why Anzac with Sam Neill , New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands , Tutankhamen and Country Calendar .
Sam Neill Awards and Nominations
Sam Neill has been nominated for several awards. Some of them include:
- 1988 = AACTA Awards for Evil Angels (A Scream in the Dark).
- 2004 = Logie Awards for Jessica.
He has also been nominated for AACTA Awards , Gemini Awards , Monte-Carlo Television Festival Awards , Primetime Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.
Sam Neill Net Worth
Sam Neill has an estimated net worth of $18 million. He has appeared in numerous movies which made an impressive collection at the box office.
Here is the list of his hit movies:
| Films | Budget | box office collection | IMDB Rating | Awards and nominations | cast members |
| The Hunt for Red October (1990) | $30 million | $200.5 million | 7.6 |
|
Sean Connery , Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn , and James Earl Jones . |
| Jurassic Park (1993) | $63 million | $1.029 billion | 8.1 |
|
Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum , Bryce Dallas, and Laura Dern. |
| The Horse Whisperer (1998) | $60 million | 6,883,563 | 6.6 |
|
Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford , Kristin Scott Thomas, and Dianne Wiest . |
| Jurassic Park III (2001) | $93 million | $368.8 million | 5.9 |
|
Tea Leoni , William H. Macy , Laura Dern, and Alessandro Nivola . |
| Thor: Ragnarok (2017) | $180 million | $854 million | 7.9 |
|
Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth , and Taika Waititi . |
Neill owns New Zealand’s largest liquor retailers, Neill and Co. He has several houses in Wellington, Sydney and New Zealand.
Sam Neil’s personal life
Sam Neill has been married twice. In 1987 Neill married Lisa Harrow . Harrow is a popular actress well recognized for her roles in British stage, film and television. In 1983, the couple welcomed their first child, Tim Neill , an electrician. Their relationship did not last long and they divorced in 1989.
He also has a stepdaughter from his second wife’s previous relationship. At twenty, he had a son, Andrés , but he gave him up for adoption. He said,
‘My first son, Andrew, was given up for adoption when he was very young. I was also quite small, in my early twenties. I didn’t see him for 25 years and then we went looking.’
The father and son met after 25 years and their reunion was ‘ much more adult .”
In an interview on the Australian talk show, Rope Enough , he said that his stutter affected his childhood and he used to hope that people wouldn’t talk to him so he wouldn’t have to answer. He stated,
”I somehow got over that it can still… you can still detect me as a stutter.’
He is a supporter of the British Stammering Association (BSA) and the Australian Speak Easy Assassination. He also supports the Australian Labor Party and the New Zealand Labor Party. In 1991, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and later made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM).
In 2002, the University of Canterbury awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters.