Sam Neill
| Sam Neill | |
|---|---|
 Neill at the 2010 Vancouver International Wine Festival. | |
| Born |
Nigel John Dermot Neill 14 September 1947 Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Education | Christ's College, Canterbury |
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Lisa Harrow (1978 – c. 1989); 1 child Noriko Watanabe (2 September 1989–present); 1 child |
Nigel John Dermot Neill DCNZM OBE (born 14 September 1947), known professionally as Sam Neill, is a Northern Ireland born New Zealand actor who first achieved leading roles in films such as Omen III: The Final Conflict and Dead Calm and on television in Reilly, Ace of Spies. He won a broad international audience in 1993 for his roles as Alisdair Stewart in The Piano and Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, a role he reprised in 2001's Jurassic Park III. Neill also had notable roles in Merlin, The Hunt for Red October and The Tudors. He holds New Zealand, British and Irish nationality, but identifies primarily as a New Zealander.[1]
Early life
Neill was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the second son of Dermot Neill, a Harrow- and Sandhurst-educated British Army officer and third-generation New Zealander, and his English wife, Priscilla Beatrice (née Ingham).[2] At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving with the Irish Guards.[3] His father's family owned Neill and Co., the largest liquor retailers in New Zealand.
In 1954, Neill returned with his family to New Zealand, where he attended the Anglican boys' boarding school Christ's College in Christchurch. He then went on to study English literature at the University of Canterbury, where he had his first exposure to acting. While at university he lived at College House,.[4] He then moved to Wellington to continue his tertiary education at Victoria University, where he graduated BA in English literature.
In 2004, on the Australian talk show Enough Rope, interviewer Andrew Denton briefly touched on the issue of Neill's "very bad" stuttering. It affected most of his childhood and as a result he was "hoping that people wouldn't talk to [him]" so he would not have to answer back. He also stated, "I kind of outgrew it. I can still... you can still detect me as a stammerer."[5]
Neill 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".[5][6][7]
Acting career
After working at the New Zealand National Film Unit as a director, Neill was cast for the lead role in 1977 New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs. Following this he appeared in Australian romance My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis.
In the late 1970s, his mentor was James Mason. In 1981 he won his first big international role, as Damien Thorn, son of the devil, in Omen III: The Final Conflict;[8] also in that year, he played an outstanding main role in Andrzej Zulawski's cult film, Possession.[8] Later, Neill was also one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore in the role of James Bond, but lost out to Timothy Dalton. Among his many Australian roles is playing Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels (1988) (released as A Cry In The Dark outside of Australia and New Zealand)[9] about the case of Azaria Chamberlain.
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 mini-series Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983). His leading and co-starring roles in films include thriller Dead Calm (1989),[8] two-part historical epic La Révolution française (1989)(as Marquis de Lafayette), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Death in Brunswick (1990),[8] Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), The Jungle Book (1994), John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), Bicentennial Man (1999), and comedy The Dish (2000).[8]
Neill has occasionally acted in New Zealand films, notably The Piano (1993), which marked the first time a woman director (Jane Campion) had won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His other New Zealand features include Gaylene Preston's genre-crossing 'romance' Perfect Strangers, and a 2009 adaptation of science fiction tale Under the Mountain. Neill himself returned to directing in 1995 with documentary Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995) which he wrote and directed with Judy Rymer.
In 1993, Neill 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).
He portrayed the legendary wizard in Merlin (1998), a miniseries based on the legends of King Arthur. He reprised his role as Merlin in the sequel, Merlin's Apprentice (2006), in which Merlin learns he fathered a son with the Lady of the Lake.
Neill starred in the historical drama The Tudors, playing Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. "I have to say I really enjoyed making The Tudors", Neill said,[10] “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."[10]
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 movie The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box[11] (2014). He is currently starring in the new BBC series Peaky Blinders, set in post-World War I Birmingham. He plays the role of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a sadistic corrupt cop, who has come 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.
In 2016, he starred in the New Zealand-made film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, directed by Taika Waititi.
Personal life
Neill has one son, Tim (born in 1983), by New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow. He married makeup artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989 and they have one daughter, Elena (born in 1991).[12] He also has a stepdaughter, Maiko Spencer (born 1982), from Noriko's first marriage.
Neill lives in Queenstown and owns a winery called Two Paddocks made up of a vineyard at Gibbston and two near Alexandra, all in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island.[13] Neill's hobby 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,[10] "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."[10]
Neill also has homes in Wellington, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia. He is a supporter of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA). He supports the New Zealand Labour Party[14] and the Australian Labor Party. He is a patron of the National Performance Conference and donated a pair of jeans to the Jeans for Genes auction; they were painted by artist Merv Moriarty and auctioned in August 1998.
Neill is friends with New Zealand musicians Neil Finn and Tim Finn, of Crowded House and Split Enz, and with Australian musician Jimmy Barnes.
Neill has been appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM). When knighthoods were returned to the New Zealand Honours System in 2009, those with DCNZM or higher honours were given the option of converting them into knighthoods. Neill chose not to do this, saying the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far".[15]
Neill was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Canterbury in 2002.[16]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Landfall | Eric | |
| Ashes | Priest | ||
| 1977 | Sleeping Dogs | Smith | |
| 1979 | Just Out of Reach | Mike | |
| Journalist, TheThe Journalist | Rex | ||
| My Brilliant Career | Harry Beecham | ||
| 1981 | Omen III: The Final Conflict | Damien Thorn | |
| Possession | Mark | ||
| From a Far Country | Marian | ||
| 1982 | Ivanhoe | Brian de Bois-Guilbert | |
| Attack Force Z | Sergeant D.J. (Danny) Costello | ||
| Enigma | Dimitri Vasilikov | ||
| 1984 | Blood of Others, TheThe Blood of Others | Bergman | |
| The Country Girls | Mr Gentleman | ||
| 1985 | Robbery Under Arms | Captain Starlight | |
| Plenty | Lazar | ||
| 1986 | For Love Alone | James Quick | |
| 1987 | Good Wife, TheThe Good Wife | Neville Gifford | |
| 1988 | Evil Angels (A Cry in the Dark)[9] | Michael Chamberlain | |
| 1989 | Dead Calm | John Ingram | |
| Révolution française, LaLa Révolution française | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette | ||
| 1990 | Hunt for Red October, TheThe Hunt for Red October | Captain Vasily Borodin | |
| Shadow of China | TV reporter | Credited as John Dermot | |
| 1991 | Death in Brunswick | Carl 'Cookie' Fitzgerald | |
| Until the End of the World | Eugene Fitzpatrick | ||
| 1992 | Rainbow Warrior, TheThe Rainbow Warrior | Alan Galbraith | |
| Memoirs of an Invisible Man | David Jenkins | ||
| Hostage | John Rennie | ||
| 1993 | Piano, TheThe Piano | Alisdair Stewart | |
| Jurassic Park | Dr. Alan Grant | ||
| Sirens | Norman Lindsay | ||
| 1994 | Country Life | Dr. Max Askey | |
| The Jungle Book | Colonel Geofferey Brydon | ||
| In the Mouth of Madness | John Trent | ||
| 1995 | Restoration | King Charles II | |
| 1996 | Children of the Revolution | Nine | |
| Victory | Mr. Jones | ||
| 1997 | Event Horizon | Dr. William Weir | |
| Snow White: A Tale of Terror | Lord Fredric Hoffman | ||
| 1998 | Horse Whisperer, TheThe Horse Whisperer | Robert MacLean | |
| Sweet Revenge | Henry Bell | ||
| 1999 | Molokai | Walter Murray Gibson | |
| Bicentennial Man | 'Sir' Richard Martin | ||
| 2000 | My Mother Frank | Professor Mortlock | |
| Dish, TheThe Dish | Cliff Buxton | ||
| The Magic Pudding | Sam Sawnoff | Voice role | |
| 2001 | Jurassic Park III | Dr. Alan Grant | |
| Zookeeper, TheThe Zookeeper | Ludovic | Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival Award for Best Actor | |
| 2002 | Dirty Deeds | Ray | |
| Leunig Animated | Narrator | ||
| 2003 | Perfect Strangers | The Man | |
| Yes | Anthony | ||
| 2004 | Wimbledon | Dennis Bradbury | |
| 2005 | Gallipoli | Narrator | Voice role |
| Little Fish | The Jockey | ||
| 2006 | Irresistible | Craig | |
| 2007 | Angel | Théo | |
| 2008 | Dean Spanley | Dean Spanley | |
| Skin | Abraham Laing | ||
| 2009 | In Her Skin | Mr. Reid | |
| Iron Road | Alfred Nichol | ||
| Under the Mountain | Mr. Jones | ||
| Daybreakers | Charles Bromley | ||
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Allomere | Voice role |
| 2011 | The Dragon Pearl | Chris Chase | |
| Hunter, TheThe Hunter | Jack Mindy | ||
| 2012 | Vow, TheThe Vow | Bill Thornton | |
| 2013 | Escape Plan | Dr. Kyrie | |
| The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box | Otto Luger | ||
| 2014 | United Passions | João Havelange | |
| A Long Way Down | Jess's father | ||
| 2015 | Backtrack | Duncan Stewart | |
| The Daughter | |||
| Concussion | Kai | ||
| 2016 | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | Uncle Hec |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Ivanhoe | Brian de Bois-Guilbert | |
| 1983 | Reilly, Ace of Spies | Sidney Reilly | 12 episodes Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1985 | Kane and Abel | William Lowell Kane | |
| 1986 | Strong Medicine | Vince Lord | |
| 1987 | Amerika | Colonel Andrei Denisov | |
| 1991 | One Against the Wind | Sergeant James Liggett | |
| 1993 | Family Pictures | David Eberlin | |
| 1994 | The Simpsons | Malloy | Voice role Episode: "Homer the Vigilante" |
| 1995 | Forgotten Silver | Himself | |
| 1996 | In Cold Blood | Agent Alvin Dewey | |
| 1998 | Merlin | Merlin | Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film |
| The Games | Citytrans CEO | Episode: "Transport" | |
| 2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Thomas Jefferson | |
| 2001 | Submerged | Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen | |
| 2002 | Doctor Zhivago | Victor Komarovsky | |
| Framed | Eddie Meyers | ||
| 2004 | Stiff | Lionel Merricks | |
| Jessica | Richard Runche | Logie Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated – AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | |
| 2005 | The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant | Governor Arthur Phillip | 2 episodes |
| To the Ends of the Earth | Mr. Prettiman | 3 episodes | |
| The Triangle | Eric Benerall | 3 episodes Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television | |
| 2006 | Merlin's Apprentice | Merlin | |
| Two Twisted | Mick | Episode: "Von Stauffenberg's Stamp" | |
| 2007 | The Tudors | Cardinal Thomas Wolsey | 10 episodes Nominated—Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series Nominated—Monte-Carlo Television Festival Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2008–2010 | Crusoe | Jeremiah Blackthorn | 14 episodes |
| 2009 | Happy Town | Merritt Grieves | 8 episodes |
| 2009 | bro'Town | Himself | Episode "To Sam with Love", Voice |
| 2010 | Rake | Dr Bruce Chandler | Episode: "R vs Chandler" |
| 2011 | Ice | Anthony Kavanagh | |
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Emerson Hauser | 13 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Peaky Blinders | C.I. Campbell | 12 episodes |
| Harry | Jim "Stocks" Stockton | ||
| 2014 | Old School | Ted Macabe | |
| 2014 | House of Hancock | Lang Hancock | |
| 2015 | And Then There Were None | General John Gordon Macarthur | |
| 2016 | Why Anzac With Sam Neill | Himself | documentary he wrote and produced |
See also
References
- ↑ Interview, Radio Times, 11–17 October 2014
- ↑ Beck, Chris (2 September 2004). "The interview". The Age (Australia). Retrieved 10 December 2007.
- ↑ Condon, Eileen (8 May 2001). "Dishy Sam's got space aspirations; For an actor fascinated by space travel Sam Neill must have thought he'd landed a dream role with his new film, The Dish. The Omagh-born actor talks to Eileen Condon about his latest role". The News Letter. Retrieved 10 December 2007.
- ↑ Sarah Catherall (6 November 2005). "Study costs rising by degrees". Tertiary education news. NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- 1 2 "Sam Neill". Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. Australia. 7 June 2004. ABC. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ↑ Erika Grams. "Sam Neill — FAQ". Ibiblio.org. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ↑ "Nigel, Neville??". Lexigame.com. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 For Your Consideration: Sam Neill for the FANGORIA Hall of Fame!, Fangoria.com, 11 January 2015.
- 1 2 "A Cry in the Dark (1988) - Release dates". IMDb.com. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Pam Brown. The West. "A glorious romp through history", 5 February 2008. Archived 12 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Adam Dawtrey (11 April 2012). "Aneurin Barnard tapped for ‘Mariah Mundi’". Variety article. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ↑ "Sam Neill — Family & Companions". yahoo.com. 10 January 1991. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ↑ Two Paddocks vineyard
- ↑ "Sam Neil's Oamaru Speech".
- ↑ "Sir 'just far too grand' for Neill". Otago Daily Times. 1 August 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ↑ "Honorary Graduates" (PDF). University of Canterbury. 2014. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2015.
External links
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