Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

Sam Neill
Sam Neill (b. 1947) was born Nigel Neill in Omagh , Northern Ireland , and moved to New Zealand at the age of six. He directed documentaries for the N.Z. Film Unit before starring in the New Zealand feature Sleeping Dogs (1977). In 1979 he came to Australia to appear opposite Judy Davis in Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career (1979). His first Hollywood role came in 1981, as the grown-up Damien in the third “Omen” film, The Final Conflict. In the years since he has continued to appear in Australian and New Zealand films: Evil Angels (1988), Dead Calm (1999), The Piano (1993), Sirens (1994), The Dish (2000), Dirty Deeds (2002); while amassing an impressive array of Hollywood credits: The Hunt for Red October (1990), Jurassic Park (1993), Event Horizon (1997), The Horse Whisperer (1998), Bicentennial Man (1999), Jurassic Park III (2001).

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