Sam Neill
Sam Neill (born Nigel John Dermot Neill), OBE (born 14 September, 1947) is a British-born, New Zealand film and television actor, and owner of the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago.
He is probably best known as Dr. Alan Grant, the paleontologist from Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III.
Early life
Born 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 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. His father's family were the owners of Neill and Co., the largest liquor retailers in New Zealand.
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.
After Roger Moore made his last James Bond movie, Sam Neill was considered for the role in The Living Daylights. He impressed everyone with his screen test, and was the 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 also starred in the 1997 sci-fi horror-thriller Event Horizon, opposite Laurence Fishburne.
He has a son, Tim, (born in 1983) by New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, and a daughter, Elena, (born in 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.
Neill was asked to play the role of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, but turned it down because of his contractual obligations to another film, namely, Jurassic Park III (2001).
He hosted and narrated a series of 2002 documentaries for BBC entitled Space (BBC), or Hyperspace in the U.S., with various subtitles reflecting the specific topic. The three-part series is as follows: 1) "Life" -- on the origin of the universe, stars, and the solar system. 2) "Survival" -- Neill tells of a lethal universe filled with killers like black holes, comets, and asteroids. 3) "Destiny" -- the eventual fate of the human race at the hands of our dying sun, new forms of space travel, and what new worlds lie ahead for humanity.
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)
- Two Twisted (TV Series) (2006)
Films
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
- My Brilliant Career (1979)
- Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
- 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)
- Death in Brunswick (1991)
- Until the End of the World (1991)
- Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
- The Piano (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- Country Life (1994)
- Sirens (1994)
- Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995)
- Event Horizon (1997)
- In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
- Children of the Revolution (1996)
- Merlin (1998)
- Sweet Revenge (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)
- Meg 2007
- Jurassic Park IV (2008) (Rumored)
Controversy
Sam Neill is currently appearing in an Australian television commercial funded by the livestock industry. He's shown in a classroom of children while conveying, "Red meat - we were meant to eat it".
This has upset those seeking an end to animal cruelty in the livestock industry and those who believe a red meat diet is unhealthy. (see [[1]] The Age opinion piece).
Quotes
For some Sam Neill quotes, see wikiquote.
