Sir Sam Neill Named As Recipient Of The 2025 Screen Legend Award

November 8, 2025

The New Zealand Screen Awards (NZSA) committee is proud to recognise internationally acclaimed actor Sir Sam Neill KNZM OBE as the recipient of the 2025 Screen Legend Award for his outstanding contribution to film and television. Neill will be honoured at the upcoming ceremony taking place at the Viaduct Events Centre on Friday 21 November, where he will receive the prestigious award.

With a career spanning over five decades, Sam Neill has become one of New Zealand’s most celebrated performers. From his breakthrough in Sleeping Dogs and international acclaim in Jane Campion’s Academy Award winning The Piano and as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and its sequels, to his work in award winning series Peaky Blinders, The Twelve, Rake, Apples Never Fall and widely celebrated Untamed, Neill’s talent and versatility have earned him recognition on screens around the world.

“I am very pleased and proud to be accepting this award amongst my friends and peers. I just worked it out that it’s been 53 years in film - that does indeed sound like a lifetime! Thanks to all concerned. Very honoured,” comments Neill.

Sam Neill has been honoured throughout his distinguished career, receiving Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his performance in the NBC miniseries Merlin (1998). He was also recognized with Golden Globe nominations for One Against the Wind (1991) and Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), the latter earning him the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Actor.

Neill’s outstanding body of work has also been celebrated in Australia, where he received the AFI Award for Best Actor for Jessica (2004). Continuing his legacy of excellence, he was recently honoured with the 2025 Logie Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama, following his 2023 TV Week Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor for his acclaimed role in The Twelve.

The Screen Legend Award is presented to a screen professional, programme or organisation who has made a significant contribution to the industry in New Zealand over the span of their career. It is a special honour given at the discretion of the New Zealand Screen Awards Committee.

Previous Legend honourees include multi-award-winning creator and producer, Dame Julie Christie DNZM (2024), writer, actor and director Oscar Kightley (2023), television producer Janine Morrell-Gunn (2022), actor and director Ian Mune (2021), television executive Andrew Shaw (2020), Shortland Street (2019), iconic Māori broadcaster and journalist Tini Molyneux (2018) and veteran producer John Barnett (2017).

Colleague and fellow Legend Award recipient Oscar Kightley comments: “Although we use this word a lot, there are actual legends still among us. People whose existence helps make others around them and the world a better place. Sir Sam Neil is one of those people. He's done so much for New Zealand and especially the screen industry here. He's an inspiration to many. I'm stoked to be alive at the same time as him.”

The winners of this year’s New Zealand Screen Awards will be announced on November 21 at a red-carpet gala event to be held at the Viaduct Events Centre. Comedian Pax Assadi will host the ceremony.

Sir Sam Neill KNZM OBE 

Actor | Producer | Winemaker | Author

Sir Sam Neill is an internationally acclaimed actor, filmmaker, author and winemaker whose remarkable career has spanned more than five decades across film, television and theatre.

Renowned for his versatility, charisma, and commanding screen presence, Neill has become one of the most respected and beloved figures in global cinema.

Born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Sam Neill moved with his family to New Zealand in 1954, where he was raised and educated in Christchurch. He attended Christ’s College and later graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. During his early years, Neill worked with the New Zealand National Film Unit, producing and directing documentaries before transitioning to acting.

Neill began his film career with the New Zealand television feature The City of No (1971), followed by the short film The Water Cycle (1972) and the television drama Hunt’s Duffer (1973). Demonstrating his versatility behind the camera, Neill wrote and directed Telephone Etiquette (1974) for the New Zealand National Film Unit and went on to appear in Landfall (1975).

Neill’s breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed feature Sleeping Dogs (1977), a landmark production that became the first New Zealand film to gain significant international release and recognition. He gained further recognition with the Australian film My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis, solidifying his reputation as a leading actor of depth and intelligence.

Throughout the 1980s, Neill built a diverse and distinguished body of work, appearing in acclaimed productions such as Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981), Possession (1981), and the television miniseries Reilly: Ace of Spies (1983), which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

In the 1990s, Neill achieved worldwide fame for his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993), a role he would reprise in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World: Dominion (2022). That same year, he starred in the Academy Award winning film The Piano (1993), directed by Jane Campion, further demonstrating his ability to inhabit complex, emotionally nuanced characters.

Over the years, Sam Neill has balanced major Hollywood blockbusters with independent and art-house films, earning acclaim for performances in works such as The Hunt for Red October (1990), Event Horizon (1997), The Dish (2000), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and Peaky Blinders (2013–2014). His extensive television credits include Merlin (1998), The Tudors (2007–2010) and Invasion (2021).

Beyond acting, Neill is an accomplished producer and winemaker. He is the founder and proprietor of Two Paddocks, a boutique vineyard and winery located in Central Otago, celebrated for its award-winning Pinot Noir.

In recognition of his contributions to the arts and to New Zealand, Neill was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 and named a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007. He accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion (KNZM) in 2022.

In 2023, Neill released his bestselling memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, offering candid reflections on his life, career, and personal journey.

Sir Sam Neill continues to act, write, and engage audiences around the world with his authenticity, humour, and enduring passion for storytelling. Whether on screen or among the vines at his beloved Two Paddocks vineyard, he remains a quintessential New Zealander and an enduring icon of international cinema.

Neill’s influence extends far beyond the screen. A passionate advocate for New Zealand’s creative industries and a proud supporter of local storytelling, he continues to inspire new generations of filmmakers and actors. His career embodies the spirit of Aotearoa’s screen culture creativity, authenticity, and global excellence.

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