Sam Neill was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to army parents, an English-born mother, Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham), and a New Zealand-born father, Dermot Neill. His family moved to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954. He went to boarding schools and then attended the universities at Canterbury and Victoria. He has a BA in English Literature. Following his graduation, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theater groups. He also was a film director, editor and scriptwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit for 6 years.

Trivia

One son, Tim Neill (b.1983), with Lisa Harrow, a daughter Elena Neill with Noriko Watanabe, and a step-daughter Maiko.
Met wife Noriko Watanabe on the set of Dead Calm (1989), where she worked as a make-up artist.
He has homes in Beverly Hills, Sydney and New Zealand.
Awarded the O.B.E. for Service to Acting (1993).
"Best Actor on British Television" for Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), Australian Film Institute Award "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" for A Cry in the Dark (1988) (aka "Cry in the Dark (1988)").
His vineyard is in the Gibbston Valley, Otago. His wine is a Pinot Noir called Two Paddocks..

"Of all the characters I've played, I think I have more in common with that guy than with Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983) referring to Carl Fitzgerald in Death in Brunswick (1990). Who Weekly (NZ) 8/23/93.
Referring to The Simpsons (1989): "I'm playing a cat burglar. I've made it. This is the high point of my career. I'm really chuffed". EW, 7/23/93.