page_title: Sam Neill
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Sam Neill / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: Sam Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
context_page_description: Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM OBE is a New Zealand actor, writer, producer, director and vineyard proprietor.
  Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, with his family in 1954. Neill first achieved recognition with his appearance in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, which he followed with leading roles in My Brilliant Career, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession, A Cry in the Dark, Dead Calm, The Hunt For Red October, and The Piano. He came to international prominence as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park.
  Outside of film, Neill has appeared in numerous television series, including Reilly, Ace of Spies, The Simpsons, Merlin, The Tudors, Crusoe, Happy Town, Alcatraz, Peaky Blinders and Rick and Morty. He has presented and narrated several documentaries.
  Neill is the recipient of the Longford Lyell Award and the New Zealand Film Award and also the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor. He has three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He lives in Queenstown and has three children and one stepchild.
context_section_description: From about 1980 to 1989, Neill was in a relationship with actress Lisa Harrow. They have a son, Tim, born in 1983. Neill subsequently married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989 and they have one daughter, Elena (born in 1991). Neill separated from Watanabe in 2017, and as of early 2018 was dating Australian political journalist Laura Tingle.
  He is stepfather to Maiko Spencer, a daughter from Watanabe's first marriage. In his early 20s he fathered a son, Andrew, who was adopted by someone else. In 2014, Neill said the two "went looking for [one another]" and that their reunion was "much more grown-up" than expected.
  Neill lives in Queenstown and owns a winery called Two Paddocks, consisting of a vineyard at Gibbston and two near Alexandra, all in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. His avocation is running Two Paddocks. "I'd like the vineyard to support me but I'm afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business", said Neill, "It is a ridiculously time- and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun, and it gets me pissed once in a while." He enjoys sharing his exploits on the farm through social media. He names his farm animals after film-industry colleagues.
  Neill has homes in Wellington, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia. He is a supporter of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA). He supports the New Zealand Labour Party and the Australian Labor Party.
caption: Neill at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
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