Age, Biography, and Wiki
Sam Neill, born on September 14, 1947, is a Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor. He is best known for his roles in blockbuster films and television series. Neill has been active in the entertainment industry for over four decades, with a career spanning numerous film and TV appearances.
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
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| Date of Birth | 14 September 1947 |
| Age | 77 Years |
| Birth Place | Omagh, Northern Ireland |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | Ireland |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Sam Neill's height and weight are not widely documented, he is typically known for his tall and imposing presence on screen.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Sam Neill has been married twice. His first marriage was to actress Lisa Harrow, with whom he has a son, and his second marriage was to make-up artist Noriko Watanabe, with whom he has a daughter. Currently, he is in a relationship with political journalist Laura Tingle.
Born in Northern Ireland to an English mother and New Zealand father, Neill moved to Christchurch with his family in 1954. He first achieved recognition with his appearance in the film Sleeping Dogs (1977), which he followed with leading roles in My Brilliant Career (1979), Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession (both 1981), Evil Angels (also known as A Cry in the Dark) (1988), Dead Calm (1989), The Hunt For Red October (1990), The Piano (1993), and In the Mouth of Madness (1994). He came to international prominence as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993), reprising the role in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Consequently he has three documented nationalities for New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. His great-grandfather Percival "Percy" Neill had left Belfast for Australia, joining a firm of merchants in Melbourne. Four years later, in 1863, he moved to New Zealand and settled in Dunedin. He was the son of a wine merchant who imported wine from France. At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving as an officer with the Royal Irish Fusiliers. His father's family owned Neill and Co. (later part of the listed hospitality group Wilson Neill).
In 1954, the Neill family moved to New Zealand and settled in the Cashmere suburb of Christchurch. He attended Cashmere Primary School and Medbury School, a private prep school. After a year, his parents and younger sister Juliet moved south to his father's home city of Dunedin. They lived at Macandrew Bay, where the children could roam free in the holidays. He first took to calling himself "Sam" at school because there were several other students named Nigel, and because he felt the name Nigel was "a little effete for ... a New Zealand playground". From 1961, he attended the Anglican boys' boarding and day secondary school Christ's College in Christchurch. He went on to study at the University of Canterbury but was uncertain about a career, deciding not to follow his father into the army or the family firm. He considered law, but wasted one year when he failed all four law units.
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| Husband | Noriko Watanabe (m. 2 September 1989-2017) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Sam Neill's net worth is estimated to be approximately $19 million, primarily derived from his extensive film and television career, voice acting, producing, and other business ventures.
Acting Career
Sam Neill has built a formidable acting career with over 80 feature films and numerous TV roles. Notable appearances include Jurassic Park, The Piano, and Peaky Blinders. His ability to play complex characters has earned him multiple awards and nominations, including two Primetime Emmy nominations and three Golden Globes.
Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile actors of his generation.
Neill 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.
Neill has played heroes and occasionally villains in a succession of film and television dramas and comedies. In the UK, he won early fame and was Golden Globe nominated after portraying real-life spy, Sidney Reilly, in the mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). An early American starring role was in 1987's Amerika, playing a senior KGB officer leading the occupation and division of a defeated United States. His leading and co-starring roles in films include the thriller Dead Calm (1989), the two-part historical epic La Révolution française (1989) (as Marquis de Lafayette), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Death in Brunswick (1990) (in which he was re-teamed with old friend John Clarke), Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), the comedy The Dish (2000), and Jurassic Park III (2001).
Neill was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Canterbury in 2002. Neill was awarded the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime achievement award, celebrating his distinguished performance career, as well as his leadership and mentoring towards others in the acting industry. In 2020, he received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Icon Award, limited to 20 living people.
Social Network
Sam Neill maintains an active presence on social media platforms, engaging with fans and sharing updates about his projects and personal life.
In 1993, he co-starred with Anne Archer in Question of Faith, an independent drama based on a true story about one woman's fight to beat cancer and have a baby. In 2000, he provided the voice of Sam Sawnoff in The Magic Pudding. In 2001, he hosted and narrated a documentary series for the BBC entitled Space (Hyperspace in the United States).
Neill starred in the historical drama The Tudors, playing Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. "I have to say I really enjoyed making The Tudors", he said, "It was six months with a character that I found immensely intriguing, with a cast that I liked very much and with a story I found very compelling. It has elements that are hard to beat: revenge and betrayal, lust and treason, all the things that make for good stories."
He acted in the short-lived Fox TV series Alcatraz (2012) as Emerson Hauser. He played the role of Otto Luger in the fantasy adventure film The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2014). He had a role in the BBC series Peaky Blinders, set in post-World War I Birmingham. He played the role of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a sadistic corrupt policeman, who came to clean up the town on Churchill's orders. In the 2015 BBC TV miniseries And Then There Were None, based on Agatha Christie's thriller, he played the role of General MacArthur.
Neill lives in Alexandra, New Zealand, South Island, and owns a winery called Two Paddocks, consisting of a vineyard at Gibbston and two near Alexandra, all in the Central Otago wine region. His avocation is running Two Paddocks. "I'd like the vineyard to support me but I'm afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business", said Neill, "It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun, and it gets me pissed once in a while." He enjoys sharing his exploits on the farm through social media. He names his farm animals after film-industry colleagues.
Education
Educated at the University of Canterbury and the University of Victoria, Neill began his career in the film industry as a director, editor, and screenwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit before transitioning to acting.
Neill was in several plays, such as playing Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Ngaio Marsh for the Canterbury University Drama Society. He acted in a production of Marat/Sade by Mervyn Thompson, and when another actor dropped out of a Wellington season, Neill replaced him as Jacques Roux. The play was staged at Downstage Theatre. He had "the time of [his] life" and saw that the arts and drama were "part of the fabric of the city" unlike in Christchurch or Dunedin. He transferred from Canterbury to Victoria University of Wellington to finish his Bachelor of Arts with a philosophy unit, and passed the "logic" paper with some last-minute coaching by John Clarke.
Neill played Macbeth in a university production directed by Phillip Mann, then joined Downstage as a professional paid actor for $25 per week, plus food from the kitchen left over from the meal served to the audience before the show. In 2004, on the Australian talk show Enough Rope, interviewer Andrew Denton briefly touched on the topic of Neill's stuttering. He recalled how deeply it had affected him in his life and, as a result, he often found himself "hoping that people wouldn't talk to [him]" so he would not have to answer them. He also stated, "I kind of outgrew it [but] you can still detect me as a stammerer."
