Sam Neill

Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (14 September 1947 – 13 July 2026) was a New Zealand actor. Known as a leading man in film and television, he received nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours for services as an actor.

Born in Northern Ireland to an English mother and a 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), followed by leading roles in: My Brilliant Career (1979), The Final Conflict, Possession (both 1981), Evil Angels (1988), Dead Calm (1989), Death in Brunswick, The Hunt for Red October (both 1990), Until the End of the World (1991), The Piano (1993), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Restoration (1995), Event Horizon (1997), The Dish (2000) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016). He came to international prominence as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993), a role he reprised in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

On television, Neill portrayed Merlin in the miniseries Merlin (1998) and Merlin's Apprentice (2006), the former of which earned him nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for playing historic spy Sidney Reilly in Reilly, Ace of Spies (1983) and a British officer during World War II in One Against the Wind (1991). In addition, he played Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors (2007) and Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders (2013–2014).