In 1971, New Zealand actor Sam Neill made his film debut in the television movie, The City of No. From here he appeared in Hunt’s Duffer, before taking parts in Landfall and Sleeping Dogs.
More roles soon followed, in high-profile films such as Omen III: The Final Conflict, A Cry in the Dark, and Dead Calm. He also took on the role of Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s landmark action-adventure movie, Jurassic Park, as well as some of its sequels.
But how familiar are you with the movies of Sam Neill? Well, if you want to know more, keep reading.
Before his death in 2026, Sam Neill had an extensive film career which saw him work with some of the biggest names in the industry, behind and in front of the camera. He also proved he had an incredible ability to move between movie genres and deliver crowd pleasing performances.
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1970s
As noted above, Sam Neill made his movie debut in the 1971 television film, The City of No. From here he continued through the decade appearing in movies such as Landfall, Sleeping Dogs, and Just Out of Reach.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 1970s included:
- The City of No (1971)
- Hunt’s Duffer (1973)
- Landfall (1975)
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
- My Brilliant Career (1979)
- The Journalist (1979)
- Just Out of Reach (1979)
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1980s
Moving into the 1980s, and Sam Neill’s star status began to rise, beginning with the lead role in horror sequel, Omen III: The Final Conflict. From here he appeared in From a Far Country, Ivanhoe, Plenty, and Strong Medicine.
In 1988, Neill starred alongside Meryl Streep in the haunting true-life story, A Cry in the Dark (aka Evil Angels). The following year he teamed up with Nicole Kidman for the horror-thriller, Dead Calm.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 1980s included:
- Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
- Attack Force Z (1981)
- Possession (1981)
- From a Far Country (1981)
- Ivanhoe (1982)
- Enigma (1982)
- The Country Girls (1983)
- The Blood of Others (1984)
- Robbery Under Arms (1985)
- Plenty (1985)
- Strong Medicine (1986)
- For Love Alone (1986)
- Peter Kenna’s The Good Wife (1987)
- Leap of Faith (1988)
- A Cry in the Dark (1988)
- Dead Calm (1989)
- The French Revolution (1989)
- Shadow of China (1989)
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1990s
Into the 1990s and Neill kicked off the decade alongside Sean Connery in The Hunt for Red October, he then popped up in John Carpenter’s Memoirs of an Invisible Man, before appearing in the critically acclaimed drama, The Piano.
However, it was 1993’s Jurassic Park which really cemented Neill as an audience favourite. Taking on the role of Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s ground-breaking dinosaur movie brought the actor to a whole new generation of film-goers, and gave him a dedicated fan base for life.
Other prominent movies during the 1990s included Sirens, In the Mouth of Madness, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, and Event Horizon. He also appeared in The Horse Whisperer alongside Robert Redford, and in Bicentennial Man with Robin Williams.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 1990s included:
- The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- Death in Brunswick (1990)
- Fever (1991)
- Until the End of the World (1991)
- One Against the Wind (1991)
- Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
- Hostage (1992)
- The Piano (1993)
- The Rainbow Warrior (1993)
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- Sirens (1994)
- Country Life (1994)
- In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
- The Jungle Book (1994)
- Restoration (1995)
- Children of the Revolution (1996)
- Victory (1996)
- Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
- Event Horizon (1997)
- The Horse Whisperer (1998)
- The Revengers’ Comedies (1998)
- Molokai (1999)
- Bicentennial Man (1999)
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2000s
Sliding into the 2000s and Sam Neill began the decade in My Mother Frank, followed by The Dish. In 2001, he returned to the role of Dr. Alan Grant for Jurassic Park III, before appearing in The Zookeeper.
Other notable movies during this decade included Perfect Strangers, Wimbledon, and In Her Skin.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 2000s included:
- My Mother Frank (2000)
- The Dish (2000)
- The Magic Pudding (2000)*
- Submerged (2001)
- Jurassic Park III (2001)
- The Zookeeper (2001)
- Framed (2002)
- Dirty Deeds (2002)
- Perfect Strangers (2003)
- Stiff (2004)
- Jessica (2004)
- Yes (2004)
- Wimbledon (2004)
- Little Fish (2005)
- Irresistible (2006)
- Angel (2007)
- My Talks with Dean Spanley (2008)
- Skin (2008)
- In Her Skin (2009)
- Under the Mountain (2009)
- Daybreakers (2009)
*Voice role
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2010s
Onto the 2010s, and after taking on a voice role in adventure fantasy, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Neill appeared in The Vow, Escape Plan, and A Long Way Down. In 2016, he placed Hec in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and in 2018 provided more voice work for family film, Peter Rabbit.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 2010s included:
- Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010)*
- The Dragon Pearl (2011)
- The Hunter (2011)
- The Vow (2012)
- Escape Plan (2013)
- The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2013)
- The Ordained (2013)
- A Long Way Down (2014)
- United Passions (2014)
- Backtrack (2015)
- The Daughter (2015)
- MindGamers (2015)
- Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
- Tommy’s Honour (2016)
- Sweet Country (2017)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- The Commuter (2018)
- Peter Rabbit (2018)
- Palm Beach (2019)
- Blackbird (2019)
- Ride Like a Girl (2019)
*Voice role
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2020s
And finally, into the 2020s and as Sam Neill entered his final decade of film, he started the decade in Rams, before returning to the world of Peter Rabbit with Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. From here he played the role of Dr. Alan Grant once more for Jurassic World: Dominion, before taking parts in Assassin Club, and Bring Him to Me.
Sam Neill’s movies during the 2020s included:
- Rams (2020)
- Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal (2020)*
- Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)*
- Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- Assassin Club (2023)
- The Portable Door (2023)
- Scarygirl (2023)*
- Bring Him to Me (2023)
- The Fox (2025)*
- The Last Resort (2027)
- Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (2027)
*Voice role
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TV work
In addition to Sam Neill’s extensive movie career, the actor also worked on a number of high-profile television shows. Some of his TV work included roles in The Twelve, Untamed, Apples Never Fall, Invasion, Flack, Rick and Morty, House of Bond, Tutankhamun, And Then There Were None, The Dovekeeers, House of Hancock, Peaky Blinders, Old School, Short Poppies, Harry, Alcatraz, Ice, Rake, Happy Town, Crusoe, Iron Road, The Tudors, Merlin’s Apprentice, Two Twisted, The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant, The Triangle, To the Ends of the Earth, Doctor Zhivago, Forbidden Love, The Games, Merlin, In Cold Blood, The Simpsons, Family Pictures, Amerika, Kane & Abel, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Lucinda Brayford, Young Ramsay, The Governor, and a 40-episode stint on popular Aussie soap, The Sullivans.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the movies of Sam Neill. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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