Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
What can I say? I am shocked and saddened. He would have said that I have been undergoing treatment for cancer and I finally got relief. And bang! He is gone. But what wonderful from the heart from anywhere.
Yes, Sam was a great actor, in more movies, more roles. Damaged, dry, bad, cheeky, damaged and very strong. Even my grandson knows someone with dinosaurs. I loved him as a smart, handsome, gray-haired lawyer Twelve.
Our real Sam? He was a little shy. And a wise, calm, polite, loving, loyal, amazing person. (Maybe not the best singer on YouTube or the name of the pig!)
Good on Steven Spielberg thanks to Roger Donaldson, Graham Baker, Phillip Noyce and myself the first reason is to cast Sam and show him to the world. I couldn’t be more proud of Sam’s performance our little moviethe unexpected power of its international release at Cannes and its subsequent popularity.
We were all young and inexperienced. It was clear from day one that the camera just loves him. And I still love him in our film, especially the pillow fight he and Judy staged in rehearsal – so good that it lasted longer.
I just asked Sam recently why he didn’t go to Cannes with us. Guess what: he had a small part in a TV show The Sullivansso that he could not make it to the famous French red carpet. But she stood on many red carpets after that, with many well-deserved awards and amazing co-stars.
Sam and I re-watched My Good Job together about eight years ago at a restored print at the National Film and Sound Archive in Launceston. I said: “What are you doing coming here?” And he found himself wearing Two Paddocks while tasting at a unique Launceston wine shop. He thought it was better to kill two birds. (I went to the event and heard his wise words about wine.)
Sam watched the film with a packed house and was great afterwards with a cheering audience, sending himself off. Adding to his belief that Sybylla shouldn’t have married Harry, he was really a wet blanket!
Later that night we watched the 2019 Australian elections together in his room. He was very proud and lovely Laura Tinglehe kept texting her and talking to TV, telling her to watch more!
In Best New York Times article on Sam I read a quote that would make him laugh, from Carrie Rickey’s 2019 An Essay on My Creative Work in the Criterion Collection: “I found Neill to be very charming, and he is portrayed with love and persistence in this film.” In other words, like the girl in most movies.
That’s it, Sam. I have unknowingly made you an object of LUST!
My passion has always been faithful and generous to the film and to me, recognizing it as its origin. He sent me a few of his pieces from My Brilliant Career to research for a while he was writing his funny and touching memoir. As Sam jokes, he called me on FaceTime and I was surprised to see this strange man with a bald head and a funny face. But I recognized the laughter immediately.
At that time none of us knew that he had cancer. Good for him to use that inspiration to write a memoir. It was a perfect hit.
One day before he died I experienced a recurrence his part of the Assembly when asked by autistic students. One of them asked: “What have you learned from your parents?” Sam paused for a long time with tears in his eyes, then tried to be kind to his parents. I was torn too. I saw Nigel (his birth name) standing alone on the platform on his way to boarding school.
I can’t believe he was gone the next day. Now I’m really tearing up.
They will be missed by many. Best wishes and love to all his family.
We opened the 1998 Neill pinot noir last night and made a toast.
Thank you for being our Harry, and our Sam.
