Nigel John Dermot Sam Neill (1947–2026) was a New Zealand actor, director, and producer known for his performances in various film and television productions including Jurassic Park, The Piano, and Peaky Blinders over a professional career spanning more than fifty years.

Sam Neill was born on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland. His father, Dermot Neill, was a New Zealand-born officer; ^【1】his mother, Priscilla Beatrice, was a British national. ^【2】The Neill family moved to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954.

Neill pursued his education at boarding schools and later studied at the Universities of Canterbury and Victoria, earning a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. After graduation, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theatre companies before joining the New Zealand National Film Unit as a documentary director and actor.

Neill made his cinematic debut in the 1977 political thriller Sleeping Dogs. Following this performance, he shared the lead role in the 1979 film My Brilliant Career. In the early 1980s, he transitioned to Hollywood, portraying Damien Thorn in Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981). In 1993, he played paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. That same year, he portrayed Alisdair Stewart in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning film The Piano.

Neill also appeared in television, notably in the 1983 series Reilly: Ace of Spies. He took the lead role in the 1998 miniseries Merlin and portrayed Inspector Campbell in the series Peaky Blinders from 2013 to 2014. Among his later roles is Brett Colby in the series The Twelve.

Neill won 16 awards and received 36 nominations during his career.^【3】 His performance in the 1988 film Evil Angels (also known as A Cry in the Dark) earned him the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor.^【4】

He was nominated twice for Primetime Emmy Awards.^【5】 In 2022, the New Zealand government appointed him a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.^【6】 Additionally, in 2026 he was nominated for a Silver Logie for his role in The Twelve.^【7】

• Sleeping Dogs (1977): Smith
• My Brilliant Career (1979): Harry Beecham
• Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981): Damien Thorn
• Possession (1981): Mark
• Evil Angels / A Cry in the Dark (1988): Michael Chamberlain (Award: Best Actor – Australian Film Institute)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990): Captain Vasily Borodin
• Jurassic Park (1993): Dr. Alan Grant
• The Piano (1993): Alisdair Stewart
• In the Mouth of Madness (1994): John Trent
• Event Horizon (1997): Dr. William Weir
• Merlin (1998 – Miniseries): Merlin
• Jurassic Park III (2001): Dr. Alan Grant
• Peaky Blinders (2013–2014 – Series): Inspector Campbell
• Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016): Hec
• Jurassic World: Dominion (2022): Dr. Alan Grant
• The Twelve (2022–2025 – Series): Brett Colby (Nomination: Silver Logie)^【8】

Sam Neill married Noriko Watanabe in 1989; the marriage ended in divorce in 2015. They have two children, Tim Neill and Elena Neill.^【9】

One of his most significant pursuits outside acting is winemaking. In 1993, he established the award-winning Two Paddocks vineyards in Central Otago, New Zealand.^【10】 He has also supported the preservation of cultural heritage through partnership in the restoration of the Scottish steamship TS Queen Mary.^【11】

In 2022, he was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma). In April 2026, he announced that he had fully overcome the disease. However, on 13 July 2026, he died in Sydney at the age of 78, according to an official statement by his family. His death was described as “unexpected and sudden.”^【12】