Sam Neill Biography (2)

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Based in New Zealand, Irish-born Sam Neill is recognized internationally for his work in film and television. Already an accomplished actor with innumerable starring roles in acclaimed projects, Neill's profile within the U.S. skyrocketed in 1993 with his roles in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and Jane Campion's The Piano. The Piano won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Australian Film Institute (A.F.I.) prize as Best Picture. Neill was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and received the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) honor for Services to Acting, as well as an A.F.I. nomination.

Neill's highly eclectic feature film credits include Jurassic Park III, with Laura Dern, William H. Macy and Téa Leoni; Bicentennial Man, with Robin Williams; The Horse Whisperer, opposite Robert Redford and Kristen Scott Thomas; Children of the Revolution, with Judy Davis; and Restoration, alongside Robert Downey Jr., Meg Ryan and Hugh Grant. He had previously starred opposite Grant as controversial Australian artist Norman Lindsay in John Duigan's Sirens.

His film credits also include The Hunt for Red October, with Sean Connery; Dead Calm, opposite Nicole Kidman; and My Brilliant Career, with Judy Davis. He starred opposite Meryl Streep in two films for director Fred Schepisi, A Cry in the Dark and Plenty. He collected the A.F.I. Award as Best Actor for Plenty.

More recently, Neill completed a starring role opposite Joan Allen in director Sally Potter's Yes and appeared in writer/director Gaylene Preston's Perfect Strangers; the Australian period crime comedy Dirty Deeds, along with an ensemble cast that includes Bryan Brown and Toni Collette; the comedy The Dish; The Zookeeper; and My Mother Frank, earning another A.F.I. nomination. He lent his vocal talents to the animated feature, The Magic Pudding, and narrated the DVD profiling the work of Australian animator Michael Leunig, entitled Leunig Animated.

His upcoming feature film projects include director Rowan Woods' Little Fish, starring with Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving.

Neill has also expanded his resume with producing and directing credits. He produced two telefilms based on author Shane Maloney's Murray Whelan crime series: Stiff (in which he also starred) and The Brush-Off, with Neill also assuming directing duties on the latter.

Neill has been honored with Golden Globe nominations for his work on television twice, and received both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for his performance as the title character in the 1998 miniseries Merlin. He portrayed Thomas Jefferson in the miniseries Sally Hemings: An American Scandal, and also starred in Reilly: Ace of Spies, Kane and Abel, Amerika and One Against the Wind. More recently, he starred along with Rob Lowe in the TNT Original Film Framed and opposite Keira Knightley and Hans Matheson in the acclaimed mini-series Doctor Zhivago; he also starred in the mini-series Jessica.

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