Sam Neill Biography

SAM NEILL

Date of Birth: September 14, 1947

Born in Northern Ireland, Neill was raised in the country he still calls home—New Zealand. And being far away from the Hollywood spotlight is just the way he likes it. "The one thing I find sad when I come to Los Angeles," he says, "is that the world here is populated by millions of people who want to be actors and never will be. And it's a particularly American thing, I think, to advise people to follow their dreams. You ought to be very careful about advising such things, because people have all kinds of entirely unrealistic dreams. As a result, so many people here think of themselves as losers, which is the worst thing you can be called in America."

But "loser" is certainly not the category Neill fell into with a film career that has netted him three Golden Globe nominations. Since his wonderful performance in My Brilliant Career (1979) he's worked non-stop. "I'm a useful actor," he says. "I don't come to the audience with any particular baggage. When I turn up on the screen, you don't necessarily know whether I'm going to solve everything as the good guy or whether I will turn out to be something else entirely."

Neill has managed to carve out a successful career as an actor. Many will remember him from the series of Jurassic Park films. He's also starred in several television shows, including The Tudors, Crusoe, Happy Town and Alcatraz.

The veteran actor went on to act in films such as The Vow (2012) with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, The Hunter (2012) alongside Willem Dafoe and Frances O'Connor, Escape Plan (2013) opposite Sylvester Stallone, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), The Daughter (2016) and the drama Tommy's Honour (2017). His latest films are The Commuter (2018) and Peter Rabbit (2018).

Neill married Noriko Watanabe, a makeup artist, in September 1989. They have a daughter, Elena. He also has a son, Tim, from a previous relationship with a New Zealand actress. Neil was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1993 for his service to acting. He and his family divide their time between homes in Los Angeles, Australia and New Zealand.

Filmography:

Peter Rabbit (2018)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Freedom Flight (2017)
Mystery Ride (2017)
Tommy's Honour (2017)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
The Daughter (2015)
Backtrack (2015)
United Passions (2014)
A Long Way Down (2014)
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2013)
Escape Plan (2013)
The Vow (2012)
The Hunter (2011)
The Dragon Pearl (2011)
Daybreakers (2009)
Under the Mountain (2009)
In Her Skin (2009)
Skin (2008)
My Talks with Dean Spanley (2008)
Angel (2007)
Irresistible (2006)
Little Fish (2005)
Wimbledon (2004)
Yes (2004)
Perfect Strangers (2003)
Dirty Deeds (2002)
The Zookeeper (2001)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The Magic Pudding (2000)
The Dish (2000)
My Mother Frank (2000)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
Molokai (1999)
The Revengers' Comedies (1998)
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Event Horizon (1997)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Victory (1996)
Children of the Revolution (1996)
Restoration (1995)
The Jungle Book (1994)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Country Life (1994)
Sirens (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Piano (1993)
Hostage (1992)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Until the End of the World (1991)
Death in Brunswick (1990)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Shadow of China (1989)
Dead Calm (1989)
A Cry in the Dark (1988)
Peter Kenna's The Good Wife (1987)
For Love Alone (1986)
Plenty (1985)
The Blood of Others (1984)
Robbery Under Arms (1985)
Enigma (1982)
From a Far Country (1981)
Possession (1981)
Attack Force Z (1981)
The Final Conflict (1981)
Just Out of Reach (1979)
The Journalist (1979)
My Brilliant Career (1979)
Sleeping Dogs (1977)
Ashes (1975)
Landfall (1975)