Sam Neill

Nigel John Dermot Neill (born 14 September 1947), known professionally as Sam Neill, is an Northern Irish-born New Zealand actor, writer, producer, and director. By family tradition, he enjoys an avocation as vigneron. Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he moved to Christchurch, New Zealand with his family in 1954. Neill first achieved recognition with his appearance in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, which he followed with leading roles in My Brilliant Career (1979), Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession (both 1981), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Dead Calm (1989), and The Piano (1993). He came to international prominence as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993).Outside of film, Neill has appeared in numerous television series, including Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983), Merlin (1998), The Tudors (2007), Crusoe (2008–2010), Happy Town (2010), Alcatraz (2012), Peaky Blinders (2013–2014) and Rick & Morty (2019). He has also presented and narrated several documentaries. Neill is the recipient of a New Zealand Film Award and a Logie Award. He has three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He lives in Queenstown and has three children and one stepchild.