Actor Sam Neill, whose unexpected death was announced today by his family, was claimed as a son by not one, but three countries.
Neill’s light-hearted description of his highly-successful vigneron business reflected his approach to his acting career
Born in Northern Ireland, grown up in New Zealand, and first making his name in Australia, Neill was more than the ‘Jurassic Park actor’ as first reports of his death labelled him. From the time he first enjoyed the spotlight in the 1970s Australian film, My Brilliant Career, and his Bafta-winning portrayal of the enigmatic Sidney Reilly in television’s Reilly, Ace of Spies, to his most recent work, Neill’s career was as versatile as it was broad. Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders was Cardinal Wolsey in The Tudors. Astronaut Weir in the Hollywood blockbuster Event Horizon was Hector the eccentric foster uncle in cult New Zealand film Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Forty years ago, Neill even screen-tested for the role of James Bond, with a licence to thrill.
Neill could play anyone, yet always played versions of himself. For decades, and especially since the first Jurassic Park in 1993, Neill was a genuine international star, whose likeability and relatability was box office gold. Yet he was most at home Down Under, and became a mainstay of both the Australian and New Zealand film industries.
