Trivia

Owns a winery, Two Paddocks, in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. It was started in 1993.

Suffered with a stammer when he was younger.

Moved to New Zealand at age 7.

He is a big fan of The Beach Boys.

One of the original candidates for the fourth and fifth actor to portray James Bond - 007 in The Living Daylights (1987) and GoldenEye (1995). Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan ended up as James Bond, respectively.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 for his work as an actor.

Studied at the University of Canterbury and at the Victoria University in Wellington, from which he graduated with a BA in English Literature.

"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)").

He has homes in Beverly Hills, Sydney and New Zealand.

His vineyard is in the Gibbston Valley, Otago, New Zealand. His wine is a Pinot Noir called Two Paddocks. In S2/E3 of Killing Eve (2018), agent Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw) mentions this fact during a conversation with Konstantin (Kim Bodnia).

Met wife Noriko Watanabe on the set of Dead Calm (1989), where she worked as a make-up artist.

One son, Tim Neill (b.1983), with Lisa Harrow, a daughter Elena Neill (b. 1991) with Noriko Watanabe, and a step-daughter, Maiko, from Watanabe's first marriage.

Born to Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham), who was English, and Dermot Neill, a New Zealand army officer. His ancestry includes English, Anglo-Irish (Northern Irish), and Irish.

He was considered for the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who (1996).

He is a supporter of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA).

He has been appointed a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM). When knighthoods were returned to the New Zealand Honours System in 2009, those with DCNZM or higher honours were given the option of converting them into knighthoods. Neill chose not to do this, saying the title of Sir was "just far too grand, by far".

He was the visual inspiration for the illustrations of super-villain Maxwell "Max" Lord in 1987. Neill was 39 years old at the time. Eventually he was played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

Was working in New Zealand theater and film when he was discovered by James Mason. Mason phoned him and offered him a plane ticket to Europe, where he helped Sam meet casting agents. The two ended up appearing in only one film together: Ivanhoe (1982).

Montana is a recurring element in his films: in The Hunt for Red October (1990) he wants to live in Montana; in The Horse Whisperer (1998) he goes to Montana to find with his wife; in Jurassic Park (1993) he is digging up fossils in Montana.

Was considered for the role of the villainous "Doc Ock" in Spider-Man 2 (2004). His wife ended up as the principal make-up & hair stylist for Kirsten Dunst in the movie.

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Canterbury in 2002.

He is one of the three founders of Huntaway Films, along with his good friends John Clarke and Jay Cassells.

He supports the New Zealand Labour Party and the Australian Labor Party.

He was considered for Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

He was considered for Alan Rickman's roles in Die Hard (1988) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

He auditioned for Mr. Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), but Tim Burton wanted Johnny Depp to be the only "name" actor in the movie.

Good friends with musicians Neil Finn, Tim Finn and Jimmy Barnes.

His career began after he left school in New Zealand. He started off making documentaries for Australian television then switched to acting winning an Australian award for My Brilliant Career while on television he's well known for the hit Reilly - Ace of Spies.

Has fluent Irish accent.

He was considered for Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998).

In a relationship with ABC chief political correspondent Laura Tingle. (2021)

Born on the same date as Jon "Bowzer" Bauman.