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.
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).
Outside of film, Neill has appeared in numerous television series in guest and recurring roles, including Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983), The Simpsons (1994), The Tudors (2007), Crusoe (2008–2010), Happy Town (2010), Alcatraz (2012), and Rick and Morty (2019). He also starred as the titular character Merlin in Merlin (1998) and Merlin's Apprentice (2006) and as Major Chester Campbell in the first two series of Peaky Blinders (2013–2014). He has presented and narrated several documentaries.
Neill receives the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the Longford Lyell Award, the New Zealand Film Award, and the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor. He also has three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor at the 2023 Logies.
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3.76
Popularity151
Credits6.6
Rating75.2M
Budget350M
RevenueActing
Primarily2027 Godzilla x Kong: Supernova
2025 The Guinea Pig Club as Charles Overton
2025 Mystery Ride as Duncan Connelly
2024 T. REX as Narrator
2023 Bring Him to Me as Frank
2023 Scarygirl as Dr. Maybee (voice)
2023 The Portable Door as Dennis Tanner
2023 Assassin Club as Caldwell
2022 Thor: Love and Thunder as Actor Odin
2022 Voice Activated as Audiobook Narrator (voice)
2022 Jurassic Greatest Moments: Jurassic Park to Jurassic World as Self
2022 Jurassic World Dominion as Alan Grant
2021 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway as Tommy Brock (voice)
2021 Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal as Frankie Scales (voice)
2020 Rams as Colin
2020 Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story as Narrator (voice)
2020 Sea Lions: Life By a Whisker as Narrator (voice)
2019 The Show Must Go On as Self
2019 Ride Like a Girl as Paddy Payne
2019 Blackbird as Tom
2019 Palm Beach as Leo
2018 Peter Rabbit as Mr. McGregor / Tommy Brock (voice)
2018 Sweet Country as Fred Smith
2018 The Commuter as Captain Hawthorne
2017 Thor: Ragnarok as Actor Odin
2017 Tommy's Honour as Alexander Boothby
2017 David Stratton: A Cinematic Life as Self
2016 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands as Narrator (voice)
2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople as Hec
2015 The Daughter as Walter
2015 MindGamers as Kreutz
2015 Backtrack as Duncan Stewart
2015 Why Anzac with Sam Neill as Self
2014 United Passions as Joao Havelange
2014 A Long Way Down as Chris Crichton
2013 River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand as Self
2013 The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box as Otto Luger
2013 Escape Plan as Dr. Kyrie
2013 The Ordained as Governor Michael Thomas Riley
2012 The Vow as Bill Thornton
2012 Alcatraz as Emerson Hauser
2011 The Hunter as Jack Mindy
2011 The Dragon Pearl as Chris Chase
2011 Return to Jurassic Park as Self
2011 Ice as Anthony Kavanagh
2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole as Allomere (voice)
2010 The Making of Daybreakers as Self
2010 Daybreakers as Charles Bromley
2009 Under the Mountain as Mr. Jones
2009 Iron Road as Alfred Nichol
2009 In Her Skin as Mr. Reid
2009 The Man in the Hat as Reader of Correspondence
2008 Dean Spanley as Dean Spanley
2008 Skin as Abraham Laing
2008 Verity Lambert: Drama Queen as Narrator
2007 The Pixar Story as Alan Grant (archive footage)
2007 Angel as Théo
2006 The Making of 'Event Horizon' as Self
2006 Irresistible as Craig
2006 Working with a Master: John Carpenter as Self
2006 Voyage of the Nautilus as Hubert Wilkins
2005 Yes as Anthony
2005 Little Fish as The Jockey
2005 New Zild - The Story of New Zealand English as Self
2005 Gallipoli as Narrator
2004 Colin McCahon: I Am as Narrator
2004 Wimbledon as Dennis Bradbury
2004 The Brush-Off Producer, Director
2004 Jessica as Richard Runche
2004 Stiff as Lionel Merricks Producer
2004 The Making of Sleeping Dogs as Self
2003 Perfect Strangers as Man
2002 Dirty Deeds as Ray
2002 Framed as Eddie Meyers
2001 The Making Of 'Jurassic Park III' as Self
2001 The Zookeeper as Ludovic
2001 SuperCroc as narrator
2001 Jurassic Park III as Dr. Alan Grant
2001 Submerged as Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen
2000 The Magic Pudding as Sam Sawnoff (voice)
2000 The Dish as Cliff Buxton - Dish Master
2000 Inside The Living Daylights as Self (archival footage)
2000 My Mother Frank as Professor Mortlock
2000 Sally Hemings: An American Scandal as Thomas Jefferson
2000 Numero Bruno as Self
1999 Bicentennial Man as Sir
1999 Molokai: The Story of Father Damien as Prime Minister Gibson
1998 The Revengers' Comedies as Henry Bell
1998 The Horse Whisperer as Robert MacLean
1997 Forgotten Silver as Self
1997 Event Horizon as Weir
1997 Snow White: A Tale of Terror as Lord Friedrich Hoffman
1997 The Rainbow Warrior as Chief Inspector Alan Galbraith
1996 Children of the Revolution as David 'Dave' Hoyle, aka Agent 'Nine'
1996 Victory as Mr. Jones
1995 Restoration as King Charles II
1995 Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill as Narrator / Host Director, Writer
1995 The Making of 'Jurassic Park' as Self / Alan Grant
1995 In the Mouth of Madness as John Trent
1994 The Jungle Book as Colonel Geofferey Brydon
1994 Country Life as Dr. Max Askey
1994 Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects as Self
1994 Sirens as Norman Lindsay
1993 Split Enz: Spellbound as Narrator
1993 Jurassic Park as Grant
1993 The Piano as Alisdair Stewart
1993 Family Pictures as David Eberlin
1993 Inside 'The Piano' as Self
1992 Hostage as John Rennie
1992 Memoirs of an Invisible Man as David Jenkins
1991 One Against the Wind as Major James Leggatt, The Guards
1991 Until the End of the World as Eugene Fitzpatrick
1991 Fever as Elliot
1991 Death in Brunswick as Carl
1990 Shadow of China as TV Reporter
1990 The Hunt for Red October as Capt. 2nd Vasily Borodin
1990 Cowboys of Culture as Self
1989 The French Revolution as Marquis de Lafayette
1989 Dead Calm as John Ingram
1988 Evil Angels as Michael Chamberlain
1988 Question of Faith as Oscar Ogg
1987 The Good Wife as Neville Gifford
1986 For Love Alone as James Quick
1986 Strong Medicine as Vince Lord
1985 Plenty as Lazar
1985 Robbery Under Arms as Capt. Starlight
1984 The Blood of Others as Bergman
1984 The Country Girls as Mr. Gentleman
1982 Enigma as Dimitri Vasilikov
1982 Attack Force Z as Sergeant Costello
1982 Ivanhoe as Brian de Bois-Guilbert
1981 From a Far Country as Marian
1981 Possession as Mark
1981 The Final Conflict as Damien Thorn
1979 The Journalist as Rex
1979 Just Out Of Reach as Mike
1979 My Brilliant Career as Harry Beecham
1979 On the Road with Red Mole Director, Writer
1978 Surf Sail as Narrator (voice) Director
1978 New Country - New People Director
1977 Flare - A Ski Trip Director
1977 Sleeping Dogs as Smith
1977 Architect Athfield as Narrator Director
1975 Four Shorts on Architecture as Narrator (voice) Director, Writer, Editor
1975 Ashes as Priest
1975 Landfall as Eric
1974 Phone Director, Writer, Editor
1973 The Sealhunters Editor
1973 Hunt's Duffer as Bradley
1972 The Water Cycle
1971 The City of No
6.58 Animation 6
6.54 Adventure 20
6.52 Western 2
6.48 Horror 7
6.47 TV Movie 15
6.44 Science Fiction 12
6.42 War 5
6.23 Comedy 23
6.21 Family 9
6.18 Mystery 7
6.17 Documentary 19
6.11 History 7
6.09 Crime 10
6.01 Drama 64
6.01 Fantasy 9
5.96 Action 17
5.79 Romance 20
5.77 Thriller 26
5.40 Music 1