Sam Neill
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 14, 1947
- Died
- Jul 13, 2026 (aged 78)
- Place of birth
- Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, UK
- Credits
- 207
Sir Nigel John Dermot 'Sam' Neill (September 14, 1947 – July 13, 2026) was a New Zealand actor. His career 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 (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 Dominion (2022).
Outside of film, Neill 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 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 received 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 had three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy nominations. He won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor at the 2023 Logies.
Neill passed away at age 78 on 13 July 2026, in Sydney, Australia. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that he remained cancer free.
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Known for
Thor: Ragnarok
2017Movie
Actor Odin
Jurassic Park
1993Movie
Grant
Rick and Morty
2013TV
Monogatron Leader (voice)
Peaky Blinders
2013TV
C.I. Chester Campbell, Major Chester Campbell
The Simpsons
1989TV
Molloy (voice)
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022Movie
Actor Odin
Filmography
The Legend of Zelda
2027Movie
Godzilla x Kong: Supernova
2027Movie
The Fox
2026Movie
The Magpie (voice)
Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke
2025Movie
Self
UNTAMED
2025TV
Paul Souter
The Assembly
2024TV
Self
T. REX
2024Movie
Self - Narrator (voice)
Apples Never Fall
2024TV
Stan Delaney
Bring Him to Me
2023Movie
Frank
Scarygirl
2023Movie
Dr. Maybee (voice)
The Portable Door
2023Movie
Dennis Tanner
Assassin Club
2023Movie
Caldwell
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022Movie
Actor Odin
The Twelve
2022TV
Brett Colby
Voice Activated
2022Movie
Audiobook Narrator (voice)
Jurassic Greatest Moments: Jurassic Park to Jurassic World
2022Movie
Self
Jurassic World Dominion
2022Movie
Alan Grant
Invasion
2021TV
Jim Bell Tyson
Trial In The Outback: The Lindy Chamberlain Story
2021TV
Self - Host
The Real Hunt for Red October
2021TV
Self
Russell Howard Stands Up to the World
2021TV
Self
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
2021Movie
Tommy Brock (voice)
Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal
2021Movie
Frankie Scales (voice)
Rams
2020Movie
Colin
Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story
2020Movie
Narrator (voice)
Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story
2020TV
Self - Narrator
Sea Lions: Life By a Whisker
2020Movie
Narrator (voice)
The Movies That Made Us
2019TV
Self
The Show Must Go On
2019Movie
Self
Ride Like a Girl
2019Movie
Paddy Payne
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019TV
Self
Blackbird
2019Movie
Tom
Palm Beach
2019Movie
Leo
Flack
2019TV
Duncan Paulson
The Pacific: In The Wake of Captain Cook
2018TV
Self - Host
Anika Moa Unleashed
2018TV
Self
Peter Rabbit
2018Movie
Mr. McGregor / Tommy Brock (voice)
Sweet Country
2018Movie
Fred Smith
The Commuter
2018Movie
Captain Hawthorne
Thor: Ragnarok
2017Movie
Actor Odin
Get Krack!n
2017TV
Self
Tommy's Honour
2017Movie
Alexander Boothby
House of Bond
2017TV
Roland “Tiny” Rowland
David Stratton: A Cinematic Life
2017Movie
Self
Tutankhamun
2016TV
Lord Carnarvon
New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands
2016Movie
Narrator (voice)
New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands
2016TV
Narrator (voice)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
2016Movie
Hec
And Then There Were None
2015TV
General John MacArthur
The Daughter
2015Movie
Walter
MindGamers
2015Movie
Kreutz
Backtrack
2015Movie
Duncan Stewart
Odyssey sur les traces de Sam Neill
2015Movie
God
Why Anzac with Sam Neill
2015Movie
Self
The Dovekeepers
2015TV
House of Hancock
2015TV
Lang Hancock
United Passions
2014Movie
Joao Havelange
Old School
2014TV
Ted McCabe
A Long Way Down
2014Movie
Chris Crichton
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
2013Movie
Self
The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box
2013Movie
Otto Luger
Rick and Morty
2013TV
Monogatron Leader (voice)
Escape Plan
2013Movie
Dr. Kyrie
Julia Zemiro's Home Delivery
2013TV
Self
Peaky Blinders
2013TV
C.I. Chester Campbell, Major Chester Campbell
The Ordained
2013Movie
Governor Michael Thomas Riley
Harry
2013TV
DSS Jim Stockton
The Vow
2012Movie
Bill Thornton
Alcatraz
2012TV
Emerson Hauser
The Hunter
2011Movie
Jack Mindy
The Story of Film: An Odyssey
2011TV
Self
The Dragon Pearl
2011Movie
Chris Chase
Return to Jurassic Park
2011Movie
Self
Ice
2011Movie
Anthony Kavanagh
Ice
2011TV
Anthony Kavanagh
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
2010Movie
Allomere (voice)
The Making of Daybreakers
2010Movie
Self
Happy Town
2010TV
Merritt Grieves
Daybreakers
2010Movie
Charles Bromley
Under the Mountain
2009Movie
Mr. Jones
Iron Road
2009TV
Alfred Nichol
Skin
2009Movie
Abraham Laing
Iron Road
2009Movie
Alfred Nichol
In Her Skin
2009Movie
Mr. Reid
The Man in the Hat
2009Movie
Reader of Correspondence
Dean Spanley
2008Movie
Dean Spanley
Crusoe
2008TV
Jeremiah Blackthorn
Verity Lambert: Drama Queen
2008Movie
Narrator
The Pixar Story
2007Movie
Alan Grant (archive footage)
The Tudors
2007TV
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey
The Graham Norton Show
2007TV
Self
Angel
2007Movie
Théo
Two Twisted
2006TV
Mick
Irresistible
2006Movie
Craig
The Making of 'Event Horizon'
2006Movie
Self
Merlin's Apprentice
2006TV
Merlin
Working with a Master: John Carpenter
2006Movie
Self
Voyage of the Nautilus
2006Movie
Hubert Wilkins
The Triangle
2005TV
Eric Benerall
The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant
2005TV
Governor Arthur Phillip
Yes
2005Movie
Anthony
Little Fish
2005Movie
The Jockey
To the Ends of the Earth
2005TV
Mr. Prettiman
New Zild - The Story of New Zealand English
2005Movie
Self
Gallipoli
2005Movie
Narrator
Colin McCahon: I Am
2004Movie
Narrator
Wimbledon
2004Movie
Dennis Bradbury
Jessica
2004Movie
Richard Runche
Jessica
2004TV
Stiff
2004Movie
Lionel Merricks
The Making of Sleeping Dogs
2004Movie
Self
Perfect Strangers
2003Movie
Man
Doctor Zhivago
2002TV
Victor Ippolitovich Komarovsky
Dirty Deeds
2002Movie
Ray
Framed
2002Movie
Eddie Meyers
The Making Of Jurassic Park III
2001Movie
Self
Richard & Judy
2001TV
Self
The Zookeeper
2001Movie
Ludovic
SuperCroc
2001Movie
narrator
Space
2001TV
Himself
Jurassic Park III
2001Movie
Dr. Alan Grant
Submerged
2001Movie
Lt. Cmdr. Charles B. 'Swede' Momsen
The Magic Pudding
2000Movie
Sam Sawnoff (voice)
The Dish
2000Movie
Cliff Buxton - Dish Master
Inside The Living Daylights
2000Movie
Self (archival footage)
My Mother Frank
2000Movie
Professor Mortlock
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal
2000Movie
Thomas Jefferson
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal
2000TV
Thomas Jefferson
Numero Bruno
2000Movie
Self
Bicentennial Man
1999Movie
Sir
Rove
1999TV
Self
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
1999Movie
Prime Minister Gibson
The Games
1998TV
Citytrans World CEO
The Revengers' Comedies
1998Movie
Henry Bell
Merlin
1998TV
Merlin
The Horse Whisperer
1998Movie
Robert MacLean
Forgotten Silver
1997Movie
Self
Event Horizon
1997Movie
Weir
Snow White: A Tale of Terror
1997Movie
Lord Friedrich Hoffman
The Rainbow Warrior
1997Movie
Chief Inspector Alan Galbraith
Children of the Revolution
1996Movie
David 'Dave' Hoyle, aka Agent 'Nine'
Victory
1996Movie
Mr. Jones
In Cold Blood
1996TV
Agent Alvin Dewey
Australian Story
1996TV
Self
Restoration
1995Movie
King Charles II
Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill
1995Movie
Narrator / Host
The Making of 'Jurassic Park'
1995Movie
Self / Alan Grant
In the Mouth of Madness
1995Movie
John Trent
The Jungle Book
1994Movie
Colonel Geofferey Brydon
Country Life
1994Movie
Dr. Max Askey
Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects
1994Movie
Self
Sirens
1994Movie
Norman Lindsay
Split Enz: Spellbound
1993Movie
Narrator
Jurassic Park
1993Movie
Grant
The Piano
1993Movie
Alisdair Stewart
Family Pictures
1993TV
David Eberlin
Inside 'The Piano'
1993Movie
Self
Hostage
1992Movie
John Rennie
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
1992Movie
David Jenkins
One Against the Wind
1991Movie
Major James Leggatt, The Guards
Until the End of the World
1991Movie
Eugene Fitzpatrick
Fever
1991Movie
Elliot
Death in Brunswick
1991Movie
Carl
Shadow of China
1990Movie
TV Reporter
The Hunt for Red October
1990Movie
Capt. 2nd Vasily Borodin
Cowboys of Culture
1990Movie
Self
The Simpsons
1989TV
Molloy (voice)
The French Revolution
1989Movie
Marquis de Lafayette
Dead Calm
1989Movie
John Ingram
Evil Angels
1988Movie
Michael Chamberlain
Question of Faith
1988Movie
Oscar Ogg
The Good Wife
1987Movie
Neville Gifford
Amerika
1987TV
Colonel Andrei Denisov
For Love Alone
1986Movie
James Quick
Strong Medicine
1986TV
Vince Lord
Strong Medicine
1986Movie
Vince Lord
Kane & Abel
1985TV
William Lowell Kane
Plenty
1985Movie
Lazar
Robbery Under Arms
1985Movie
Capt. Starlight
The Blood of Others
1984Movie
Bergman
The Country Girls
1983Movie
Mr. Gentleman
Reilly: Ace of Spies
1983TV
Sidney Reilly
Enigma
1982Movie
Dimitri Vasilikov
Attack Force Z
1982Movie
Sergeant Costello
Ivanhoe
1982Movie
Brian de Bois-Guilbert
From a Far Country
1981Movie
Marian
Possession
1981Movie
Mark
The Final Conflict
1981Movie
Damien Thorn
Lucinda Brayford
1980TV
Tony Duff
The Journalist
1979Movie
Rex
Just Out Of Reach
1979Movie
Mike
My Brilliant Career
1979Movie
Harry Beecham
Surf Sail
1978Movie
Narrator (voice)
Sleeping Dogs
1978Movie
Smith
The Governor
1977TV
Colonial Bachelor
Architect Athfield
1977Movie
Narrator
The Sullivans
1976TV
Ben Dawson
Four Shorts on Architecture
1975Movie
Narrator (voice)
Ashes
1975Movie
Priest
Landfall
1975Movie
Eric
Hunt's Duffer
1973Movie
Bradley
The Water Cycle
1972Movie
Hydro enthusiast
Film '72
1971TV
Self
The City of No
1971Movie
The neighbour
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951TV
British Flier
Mystery Ride
Movie
Duncan Connelly
The Last Resort
Movie
Gerard