Sir Nigel John Dermot “Sam” Neill (14 September 1947 โ 13 July 2026) was a New Zealand actor and businessman. He received nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services as an actor.
๐ Early Life and Background
Nigel John Dermot Neill was born on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to an English mother and a New Zealand father. He held three documented nationalities: New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. In 1954, the Neill family moved to New Zealand and settled in the Christchurch suburb of Cashmere.
As a child, Neill had a stammer. He began calling himself “Sam” at school because several other boys were named Nigel, and because he felt the name Nigel was “a little effete for … a New Zealand playground”. He attended the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, but was uncertain about a career.
๐ญ Early Acting Career
Neill’s first film was a New Zealand television film The City of No (1971). His breakthrough performance in New Zealand was the film Sleeping Dogs (1977), the first local film to be widely screened overseas. He went to Australia where he had a guest role on the TV show The Sullivans.
He was the romantic male lead in My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis, which was a big international success. In 1981, he won his first big international role, as Damien Thorn, son of the devil, in The Final Conflict. He was one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore in the role of James Bond, but lost out to Timothy Dalton.
๐ฅ Major Film Roles
He came to international prominence as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993), a role he reprised in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). He solidified his leading man status with The Hunt for Red October (1990), Death in Brunswick (1990), and The Piano (1993). He also starred in In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), The Dish (2000), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016).
๐บ Television Work
On television, he portrayed Merlin in the miniseries Merlin (1998) and Merlin’s Apprentice (2006), earning nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. He was also Golden Globe-nominated for playing Sidney Reilly in Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). He played Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors (2007), and Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders (2013โ2014).
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Personal Life
In his early 20s, Neill fathered a son who was placed for adoption, with whom he later reunited in 1994. He married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989, and they had one daughter together. They separated in 2017. As of 2023, he had eight grandchildren.
Neill lived in Alexandra, South Island, New Zealand, and owned a winery called Two Paddocks. His avocation was running Two Paddocks. He enjoyed sharing his farm exploits on social media.
| Category | Detail | Category | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 14 September 1947, Omagh, Northern Ireland | Death | 13 July 2026 |
| Nationalities | New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom | Spouse | Noriko Watanabe (m. 1989; sep. 2017) |
| Breakthrough Film | Sleeping Dogs (1977) | Major Franchise | Jurassic Park (1993, 2001, 2022) |
| Notable TV Roles | Merlin, The Tudors, Peaky Blinders | Business | Two Paddocks winery |