SAM NEILL
Date of Birth: September 14, 1947
Born in Northern Ireland, Neill was raised in the country he still calls home -- New Zealand. And being far away from the Hollywood spotlight is just the way he likes it. "The one thing I find sad when I come to Los Angeles," he says, "is that the world here is populated by millions of people who want to be actors and never will be. And it's a particularly American thing, I think, to advise people to follow their dreams. You ought to be very careful about advising such things, because people have all kinds of entirely unrealistic dreams. As a result, so many people here think of themselves as losers, which is the worst thing you can be called in America."
But "loser" is certainly not the category Neill fell into with a film career that has netted him three Golden Globe nominations. Since his wonderful performance in My Brilliant Career (1979) he's worked non-stop. "I'm a useful actor," he says. "I don't come to the audience with any particular baggage. When I turn up on the screen, you don't necessarily know whether I'm going to solve everything as the good guy or whether I will turn out to be something else entirely."
Neil married Noriko Watanabe, a makeup artist, in September 1989. They have a daughter, Elena. He also has a son, Tim, from a previous relationship with a New Zealand actress. Neil was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1993 for his service to acting. He and his family divide their time between homes in Los Angeles, Australia and New Zealand.
FILMOGRAPHY:
Telepathy (2008)
Skin (2008)
Dean Spanley (2008)
How to Change in 9 Weeks (2008)
Daybreakers (2008)
Angel (2008)
Irresistible (2006)
Little Fish (2006)
Irresistible (2005)
Yes (2005)
Wimbledon (2004)
Perfect Strangers (2003)
Dirty Deeds (2002)
The Zookeeper (2001)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Numero Bruno (2000)
The Dish (2000)
The Magic Pudding (2000) (voice)
Molokai: The Story Of Father Damien (1999)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
My Mother Frank (1999)
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
The Revengers' Comedies (1998)
Event Horizon (1997)
Restoration (1996)
Children of the Revolution (1996)
Victory (1995)
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Cinema of Unease (1995)
Sirens (1994)
The Jungle Book (1994)
Country Life (1994)
The Piano (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Family Pictures (1993)
The Rainbow Warrior (1992)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Hostage (1992)
Until the End of the World (1991)
One Against the Wind (1991)
Fever (1991)
Death in Brunswick (1991)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
The French Revolution (1990)
Dead Calm (1989)
Leap of Faith (1988)
A Cry in the Dark (1988)
The Good Wife (1987)
Amerika (1987)
Strong Medicine (1986)
For Love Alone (1986)
Robbery Under Arms (1985)
Plenty (1985)
Kane & Abel (1985)
The Blood of Others (1984)
The Country Girls (1983)
Reilly: The Ace of Spies (1983)
Ivanhoe (1982)
Enigma (1982)
Attack Force Z (1982)
Possession (1981)
From a Far Country: Pope John Paul II (1981)
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
Lucinda Brayford (1980)
My Brilliant Career (1979)
Just Out of Reach (1979)
The Journalist (1979)
Sleeping Dogs (1977)
Landfall (1975)
Ashes (1975)
Landfill (1975)
Telephone Etiquette (1974)