Sam Neill

Actor, Entrepreneur

New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

Quick Info

ProfessionActor, Entrepreneur
NationalityNew Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland
Date of Birth14/09/1947
Age78 years (died on 13, Jul, 2026)
BirthplaceOmagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Date of Death13/07/2026

Latest News about Sam Neill

13/07/2026

Award-winning actor Sam Neill, best known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series and for films like The Piano and My Brilliant Career, died suddenly and unexpectedly in Sydney, Australia at the age of 78. A statement on his official Instagram account confirmed the loss was sudden, noting that he had remained cancer-free after a five-year battle with blood cancer since announcing his recovery in late April 2026.

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Bio/Wiki

Birth NameNigel John Dermot Neill
Famous ForPlaying the role of Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series
Titles
  • Sir
  • KNZM
  • OBE
  • DCNZM

Physical Stats & More

Height5' 7" (170 cm)
Weight60 Kg (132 lbs)
Body Measurements
Chest40 inches
Waist34 inches
Biceps12 inches
Eye ColourBlue
Hair ColourSalt & pepper

Educational Qualification(s)

School
  • Cashmere Primary School
  • Medbury School
  • Christ's College
College/University
  • University of Canterbury
  • Victoria University, Wellington
DegreeBachelor of Arts

Personal Life

ReligionAtheist
Food HabitNon-vegetarian
Political InclinationSupporter of New Zealand Labour Party

Relationships & More

Marital StatusUnmarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsLaura Tingle (Australian political journalist, 2018-2021)
Marriage Date
  • First- 1980 (div. 1989)
  • Second- 1989 (div. 2017)

Family

Wife/Spouse
  • First: Lisa Harrow (Actress)
  • Second: Noriko Watanabe (Japanese makeup artist)
Children
  • Andrew Neill (Born when Sam was in his 20s and placed for adoption)
  • Tim Neill (With Lisa Harrow)
  • Elena Neill (With Noriko Watanabe)
  • Maiko Neill (Adopted)
Parents
FatherDermot Neill
MotherPriscilla Beatrice Ingham
Siblings
  • Michael Neill (Shakespearean scholar and academic, elder)
  • Juliet (Drama teacher, puppeteer, and singer, younger)
Other Relatives
Great-grandfatherPercival "Percy" Neill
Grandchildren8

Career

Debut
TV FilmThe City of No (1971)
FilmLandfall (1975, As Eric)
TVThe Sullivans (1979-1980, Ben Dawson, Aired on Nine Network)
Last Film
FilmBring Him to Me (2023, Frank McCarthy)
TVUntamed (2025, Aired on Netflix, As Paul Souter)
Awards, Honours, Achievements
National Honours
  • 1991– Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by United Kingdom, Queen's Birthday Honours for services as an actor
  • 2007– Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) by New Zealand, New Year Honours
  • 2022– Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (KNZM) by New Zealand as redesignation of his 2007 DCNZM, accepted after declining the same offer in 2009
Honorary & Lifetime Achievement Awards
  • 2002– Honorary Doctor of Letters by University of Canterbury (New Zealand)
  • 2016– AIMC Lifetime Achievement Award by Australian Movie Convention
  • 2019– Longford Lyell Award by AACTA Awards (Australia)
  • 2019– Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award by The Equity Ensemble Awards (New Zealand)
  • 2019– Grand Honorary Award by Sitges Catalonian International Film Festival (Spain)
  • 2020– Arts Foundation Icon Award (Whakamana Hiranga) by Arts Foundation of New Zealand
Competitive Acting/Screen Awards
  • 1989– Best Actor in a Leading Role (AACTA Awards, Australia) for Evil Angels/A Cry in the Dark
  • 1989– Best Actor in a Lead Role (AFI – Australian Film Institute) for Evil Angels/A Cry in the Dark
  • 2001– Best Actor (Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA) for The Zookeeper
  • 2005– TV Week Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor (Logie Awards, Australia) for The Brush-Off
  • 2010– Best New Zealand Export (New Zealand Screen Awards)
  • 2016– Best Supporting Actor (Film Club's The Lost Weekend Awards) for Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  • 2017– Award (Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards) for Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  • 2017– Best Supporting Actor (AFCA Awards, Australia) for The Daughter
  • 2019– Best Supporting Actor (AFCA Awards, Australia) for Sweet Country
  • 2019– Best Presenter Entertainment (Huawei Mate30 Pro Awards) for The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill
  • 2023– TV Week Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor (Logie Awards, Australia)
  • 2025– Best Lead Actor in a Drama (Logie Awards, Australia)

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Sam Neill was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland as Nigel John Dermot Neill.
2. He had an English mother Priscilla Beatrice Ingham and a New Zealand father, Dermot Neill.
3. His father was an officer in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, serving in Northern Ireland at the time of his birth.
4. He began to call himself Sam at school due to the presence of others named Nigel.
5. His first major success was Sleeping Dogs in 1977, the first New Zealand film to be widely released overseas.
6. He starred in My Brilliant Career in 1979, opposite Judy Davis, and the movie was a success abroad.
7. His first major role was in the miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983.
8. He reprised his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park III in 2001.
9. He was knighted in 2022 after declining the offer in 2009.
10. He battled blood cancer for five years and announced he was cancer-free in late April 2026.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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