Sam Neill obituary: A versatile actor whose role goes beyond Jurassic Park

Neil Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, his father was serving as an officer with the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

“I was born in Omagh, we live in Armagh and my favorite place here was Tyrella Beach, I think I grew up there,” Neil told the BBC in 2012.

The family moved to New Zealand when Neil was seven years old.

His real name was Nigel, but after discovering his new school had many boys named after him, he started calling himself Sam. “Nigel’s baptism set me back years,” he joked later.

At first he was not sure what kind of profession he should follow. Neil decided not to follow his father into the military or the hospitality business the family owned.

His brief foray into the legal profession was cut short after his first year of law school.

Starring in student productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Neil decided to pursue an acting career instead.

A variety of film and television appearances followed in New Zealand, where he played major roles in his native country before moving to Australia in 1977 and landing major roles.

In the year He described 1979’s My Brilliant Career as “a very important role for me, because that was the film that got me out of New Zealand, and allowed me to live and work in my beloved Australia.”

“Yeah, that was probably more transformative than anything else I’ve ever done, in a way.”