19 Dec 2025

The many roles of screen legend Sir Sam Neill

From Nine To Noon, 10:35 am on 19 December 2025
Images of Sam Neill in ten of his roles over the years.

Photo: RNZ composite

 He's been considered one for years - but last month Sir Sam Neill was officially designated a Screen Legend.

The honour marking his stellar fifty year career was handed out at the New Zealand Screen Awards and followed his Logie for 'Best Lead Actor' in the series The Twelve at the Australian TV awards in August.

From Sleeping Dogs and Reilly, Ace of Spies.... to Jurassic ParkHunt for the WilderpeopleThe Tudors....his CV is a veritable chocolate box of roles from which fans can pick their favourites.

When he's not filming, the Central Otago resident can be found on his Two Paddocks farm and vineyard surrounded by his celebrity-named animals.

Most recently Sir Sam has been outspoken in his opposition to plans to fast-track a goldmine in the local Bendigo area. Kathryn speaks to him about his concerns about that project, his latest screen honours and what he can detail about his upcoming projects.