Biography
Early life
Born Nigel Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, the second son of Dermot, a Harrow and Sandhurst educated army officer and third generation New Zealander (who was then stationed in Northern Ireland) and his English wife Priscilla. His family (owners of Neill and Co., the largest liquor retailers in New Zealand) returned to New Zealand in 1954 where Neill attended the Anglican boys' boarding school Christ's College, in Christchurch, and then went on to study English Literature at the University of Canterbury.
Acting career
After appearing in the popular television series, The Sullivans, he began his film career 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 in Omen III: The Final Conflict, one of the sequels to The Omen.
In the late 70's his mentor was the famous British actor James Mason.
He was considered to take over from Roger Moore as James Bond for The Living Daylights, impressing everyone with his screen test, and was the original preferred choice of director John Glen. However, Cubby Broccoli was not impressed by Neill, and the role eventually went to Timothy Dalton instead.
Since then, Neill has played heroes and villains in a succession of television and film 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 probably best known for his film roles including Dead Calm (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Piano (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993).
He has a son, Tim, (born 1983) by New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, and a daughter, Elena, (born 1990) by makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, whom he married in 1989.
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.
He hosted and narrated a series of 2002 documentaries for BBC entitled Space (BBC) with various subtitles reflecting the specific topic.
Television
Ivanhoe (1982)
Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983)
Kane and Abel (1985)
Amerika (TV miniseries) (1987)
In Cold Blood (1996)
Doctor Zhivago (2002)
Framed (2002)
Stiff (2004)
Jessica (2004)
To the Ends of the Earth (2005)
The Triangle (TV Series) (2005)
Films
Sleeping Dogs (1977)
My Brilliant Career (1979)
Omen III: The Final Conflict
Possession (1981)
Attack Force Z (1982)
Plenty (1985)
The Good Wife (1987)
A Cry in the Dark (1988)
Dead Calm (1989)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Country Life (1990)
Until the End of the World (1991)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
The Piano (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Sirens (1994)
Event Horizon (1995)
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Children of the Revolution (1996)
Merlin (1998)
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
The Dish (2000)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The Zookeeper (2001)
Dirty Deeds (2002)
Perfect Strangers (2003)
Yes (2004)
Wimbledon (2004)
Little Fish (2005)
Irresistible (2005) (post-production)
Merlin's Apprentice (2006)
