ACTOR
Sam Neill
- Known for
- Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), Wimbledon (2004), Possession (1981), Dead Calm (1989)
30 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Sam Neill is an actor best known for Jurassic World: Dominion, Wimbledon and Possession.
All facts (30)
- #001
Sam Neill was cremated at the Sydney Crematorium in Kemps Creek, Australia. His family later scattered his ashes around Two Paddocks in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. That connection began in 1993.
- #002
As a child, Sam Neill suffered from a stutter.
- #003
Sam Neill moved to New Zealand at the age of 7.
- #004
Sam Neill was one of the original candidates to play James Bond, for the fourth and fifth actors to portray 007, in The Living Daylights (1987) and GoldenEye (1995). Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan became James Bond respectively.
- #005
Sam Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 for his acting work.
- #006
Sam Neill has a son named Tim Neill (b. 1983) with Lisa Harrow, a daughter named Elena Neill (b. 1991) with Noriko Watanabe, and a stepdaughter, Maiko, from Watanabe's first marriage.
- #007
Sam Neill was working in New Zealand theatre and cinema when he was discovered by James Mason. Mason called him and offered him a plane ticket to Europe, where he helped Sam meet acting agencies. The two appeared in only one film together: Ivanhoe (1982).
- #008
Sam Neill is a big fan of The Beach Boys.
- #009
Sam Neill has homes in Beverly Hills, Sydney and New Zealand.
- #010
Sam Neill was born to English mother Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham) and New Zealand officer Dermot Neill. His ancestry includes English, Anglo-Irish (Northern Irish) and Irish.
- #011
Sam Neill's vineyard is in the Gibbston Valley, Otago, New Zealand. His wine is a Pinot Noir called Two Paddocks. In S2/E3 of Killing Eve (2018), agent Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) mentions this fact during a conversation with Konstantin (Kim Bodnia).
- #012
Sam Neill met his wife Noriko Watanabe on the set of Dead Calm (1989), where she worked as a makeup artist.
- #013
Sam Neill studied at the University of Canterbury and at Victoria University in Wellington, graduating from the latter with a bachelor's degree in English Literature.
- #014
Sam Neill was the visual inspiration for the drawings of the supervillain Maxwell "Max" Lord in 1987. Neill was 39 at the time. The character was ultimately played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).
- #015
Sam Neill was considered for Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
- #016
Sam Neill is a patron of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA).
- #017
Sam Neill was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree by the University of Canterbury in 2002.
- #018
Sam Neill was considered for the villain role of "Doc Ock" in Spider-Man 2 (2004). His wife was the film's chief makeup and hair stylist for Kirsten Dunst.
- #019
Sam Neill was appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007. However, even after New Zealand reinstated knighthoods in 2009, he chose not to use the title Sir. Nevertheless, in 2022 he would agree to have his New Zealand Order of Merit title redefined as Knight Companion.
- #020
Montana is a recurring element in Sam Neill's films: in The Hunt for Red October (1990) he wants to live in Montana; in The Horse Whisperer (1998) he travels to Montana to find his wife; in Jurassic Park (1993) he digs for fossils in Montana.
- #021
Sam Neill was considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 film Doctor Who: The Movie.
- #022
Sam Neill supports the New Zealand Labour Party and the Australian Labor Party.
- #023
Sam Neill was considered for Alan Rickman's roles in Die Hard (1988) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).
- #024
Sam Neill auditioned for the role of Mr. Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), but Tim Burton wanted Johnny Depp to be the film's only "name" actor.
- #025
Sam Neill is one of the three founders of Huntaway Films, along with his close friends John Clarke and Jay Cassells.
- #026
Sam Neill's career began after he left school in New Zealand. He started out making documentaries for Australian television, and then moved into acting, winning an Australian award for My Brilliant Career around the time he became known on television with the hit Reilly - Ace of Spies.
- #027
Sam Neill appeared in a film nominated for Best Picture: the Oscar-nominated The Piano (1993).
- #028
Sam Neill was considered for the role of Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).
- #029
Sam Neill is in a relationship with Laura Tingle, the ABC's chief political correspondent.
- #030
Sam Neill is good friends with the musicians Neil Finn, Tim Finn and Jimmy Barnes.
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