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Films A-Z
1974-79
1980-84
1985-89
1990-94
1995-99
2000-04
Sam Neill Filmography
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2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | Completed

Completed

Little Fish (Porchlight Films)

with Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Joel Tobeck, Martin Henderson
Directed by Rowan Woods
 
In Post-Production

A crime thriller about a woman trying to escape her past as a heroin addict.


Governor Arthur Phillip

Mary Bryant -- TV Mini-Series (Ten Network)

with Jack Davenport, Romola Garai, Jack Davenport, Alex O'Lachlan, Tony Martin, David Field, Catherine McClements
Directed by Peter Andrikidis
In Post-Production

"The true story of a female petty criminal who was sent to Australia as a convict, but escaped and was captured before being sent to Britain for trial."


To the Ends of the Earth -- TV Mini-Series (BBC/Power)

with Benedict Cumberbatch, Jared Harris and Victoria Hamilton
Directed by David Attwood

Based on Rites of Passage, Close Quarters, Fire Down Below by William Golding

In Post-Production

"An intimate journey on an epic scale, charting in dazzling and visceral detail the rite of passage of Edmund Talbot, a young English aristocrat as he experiences life on board a passenger ship making its hazardous sea voyage from England to Australia in the early 19th century."

2004
Director Icon
Director

The Brush Off -- TV Movie (Huntaway Films)

with David Wenham, Mick Molloy, Deborah Kennedy, John Clarke
Directed by Sam Neill

Based on The Brush Off by Shane Maloney

Broadcast on TV in Australia; on DVD (as of 28 February 2005) in Australia.

"Based on Shane Maloney's popular Murray Whelan books, Murray is a 30-something, divorced father of one who works as an adviser to a Labor government minister. When Agnelli is demoted to Minister for Arts and Water, he decides to earn brownie points by raising funds for the next election campaign. Murray is on the case, meeting with philanthropists and arts connoisseurs. This is where the trouble begins."


Stiff -- TV Movie (Huntaway Films)

with David Wenham, Mick Molloy, Deborah Kennedy
Directed by John Clarke

Based on Stiff by Shane Maloney

 
Lionel Merricks
Broadcast on TV in Australia; on DVD (as of 28 February 2005) in Australia.

"Based on Shane Maloney's popular Murray Whelan books, Murray is a 30-something, divorced father of one who works as an adviser to a Labor government minister. A body found in the freezer of the Meatworks in Murray's boss Agnelli's electorate causes panic in the ranks. Agnelli sees it as a Machiavellian plot by his political rivals to stir up trouble with the unions and precipitate his demise."



Lizzie's Dad

Wimbledon (Dimension/Universal - Working Title Films)

with Kirsten Dunst, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau, Austin Nichols
Bernard Hill, James McAvoy, Eleanor Bron, and Nikolaj Coster Waldau.
Directed by Richard Loncraine
On DVD in North America and the U.K. (as of February 7, 2005).

A British tennis player is given a wild card for Wimbledon and he plans to make it his final tournament, but then falls in love with a hot shot young American tennis star and his luck begins to change. Filmed on location at The All England Lawn Tennis Club.

"I think ... I'm a tennis dad from hell." -- Sam Neill


Yes (GreeneStreet Films)

with  Joan Allen, Simon Abkarian, and Shirley Henderson
Directed by Sally Potter
 


Anthony

(photo courtesy of Nicola Dove Photography)

Shown at the Toronto and London Film Festivals. Scheduled for U.S. Release on June 25, 2005.

The story of "a passionate love affair between a married American scientist and a Lebanese cook living in exile in London."


Jessica -- TV Mini-Series (Screentime and Channel Ten)

with  Leeanna Walsman, John Howard, Tony Martin and Lisa Harrow
Directed by Peter Andrikidis
Based on Jessica by Bryce Courtenay
 
Sam Neill as Runche
Runche
On DVD in Australia.

"It is a sweeping saga of love, deceit and sacrifice set during the early years of the twentieth century in the farmlands around Narrandera – then a frontier town in rural New South Wales, Australia."  Official Press Release.

"I played a drunken clapped-out barrister with a nose like a tomato.  That was a bit of a leap, that part.  I don't know where the character came from.  I suppose I dredged up some residual memories of drunks in the Groucho Club." -- Sam Neill
2003
Perfect Strangers
The Man

Perfect Strangers

with Rachael Blake, Joel Tobeck
Directed by Gaylene Preston
On DVD in North America and Australia.

A "bent thriller about the sheer terror of living happily ever after". Official Press Release from Huntaway FilmsSynopsis.

""I invented a whole back story for him - but I never told Rachael.  I never even told her his name.  That was all secret men's business "  -- Sam Neill

2002
Photo of Sam Neill as Victor Komarovsky
Victor Komarovsky
(picture courtesy of Granada)

Doctor Zhivago -- TV Mini-Series (ITV/Granada)

with Keira Knightley, Hans Matheson, Kris Marshall, Maryam d'Abo 
Directed by Giacomo Campiotti 

Based on Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
On video and DVD in the UK and North America.

A remake of the love story written by Boris Pasternak. Official Press Release from Granada.

"It’s not very often you get asked to play people that are just so bad. You can’t pass that up too often.  ...  I love all my characters, but I have a love/hate relationship with Komarovsky.  I despise him, but am rooting for him.  I’m on his side". -- Sam Neill


Dirty Deeds (Nine Films & Television)

with Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman, Sam Worthington 
Directed by David Caesar
Ray
Ray
On video and DVD in Australia/New Zealand and North America.

In 1960s Sydney, the success of illegal businesses set up to feed off of Vietnam soldiers on R&R elicits the interest of the Chicago mob who come to get a piece of the action. Official Press Release from Dirty Deeds Productions Pty Ltd. Synopsis.

"They had this incredible power on the screen, doing this really heavy stuff on the first day they were together, where Sam's character had to give Bryan's a dressing down in front of the young policemen. It was really one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen, seeing the two of them trying to keep a straight face."  -- producer Deborah Balderstone

Images from Dirty Deeds
Images

Photo of Sam Neill as Eddie Meyers
Eddie Meyers

Framed -- TV Movie (TNT)

with Rob Lowe, Alicia Coppola 
Directed by Daniel Petrie, Jr.
On video and DVD in North America, UK, the Netherlands, Australia; on video in Russia.

Based on a BBC series of the same name, this is the story of a detective who arrests a money-laundering schemer and then engages in a battle of wits with him as he attempts to get him to testify against his former co-conspirators.

"Eddie Meyers is a wonderful character who is clearly a bad guy but has lots of layers and lots of ambivalence. He's an attractive bad guy." -- Sam Neill

Images from Framed
Images
2000

Submerged -- TV Movie (NBC)

with Shea Whigham, Emily Procter and James B. Sikking 
Directed by James Keach

Based on The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas
Photo of Sam Neill as Swede Momsen
Swede Momsen
(picture courtesy of Stanley Brooks)
Broadcast on TV in North America in May 2001; no North American video release scheduled; on video in Japan and Russia.

A moment-by-moment account of the sinking and rescue of the American submarine USS Squalus months before World War II began.

Images from Submerged
Images

Photo of Sam Neill as Himself in Space/Hyperspace
Himself, 
presenter

Space (a.k.a. Final Frontiers a.k.a. Hyperspace) -- TV Mini-Series (BBC)

Directed by Luke Campbell and Jeremy Turner 

Companion Book: Space: Our Final Frontier by John Gribbin (BBC Consumer Publishing)
On video and DVD in North America, UK and Australia.

Scientific documentary mini-series about the beginnings of time and the universe. Official Press Release from the BBC

“It’s about the magic of space - that amazing moment we’ve all experienced when we look up at the stars and ask ourselves ‘where did we come from?’ and ‘are we alone ?’” -- Sam Neill

Images from Space Sounds from Space/Hyperspace
Images Sounds

Jurassic Park III (Universal)

with Alessandro Nivola, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Michael Jeter, Trevor Morgan, Laura Dern 
Directed by Joe Johnston 

Novelization: Jurassic Park III by Scott Ciemcin (Random House Children's Publishing, 2001) 
Storybook: Jurassic Park III Storybook by Marc Cerasini (Random House, 2001) 
Dr. Alan Grant & Velociraptor Action Figures (Hasbro) 
Numerous other tie-in books and toys are and will be available.
Photo of Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant
Dr. Alan Grant
On video and DVD in North America, Australia, UK, Germany, Russia.

More dinosaurs. More adventure. Official Press Release from Universal Studios

"We have a story that moves like an express train, and some new, very alarming dinosaurs.  It should be pretty exciting, and I'm looking forward to seeing it myself." -- Sam Neill


Images from Jurassic Park 3 Sounds from Jurassic Park III
Images Sounds

Photo of Sam Neill as Jonah Ludovic
Jonah Ludovic
(picture courtesy of Andrea)

The Zookeeper (Svendsen Films)

with Lasse Lunderskov, Gina McKee, Om Puri, Ulrich Thomsen 
Directed by Ralph Ziman
North American release: Unknown, though shown at several film festivals in North America.; on DVD in Denmark.

A man in a city torn by war continues to take care of the animals at the zoo where he works, while being forced to deal with a sociopathic captain of soldiers and fleeing refugees who try to find safety in his zoo.

Images from The Zookeeper
Images
2000

The Dish (Working Dog)

with Patrick Warburton, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long 
Directed by Rob Sitch
Photo of Sam Neill as Cliff Buxton
Cliff Buxton
On video and DVD in Australia and North America; on video in Russia and Germany.

A chronicle of the goings-on at the Oz radio telescope that played a central role in communications for the 1969 moon landing. Intro and Synopsis

"The most pleasurable experience to me was actually playing cricket on the dish. I'm not sure if this is something that happens very often, people playing cricket in the middle of a radio telescope" -- Sam Neill

Images from The Dish Sounds from The Dish
Images Sounds


Photo of Sam Neill as Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal -- TV Mini-Series (CBS/Craig Anderson Productions)

with Carmen Ejogo, Diahann Carroll, Mare Winningham, Mario van Peebles
Directed by Charles Haid 

Screenplay and more: Sally Hemings: An American Scandal: The Struggle to Tell the Controversial True Story, by Tina Andrews (Malibu Press, 2001)
On video in North America; on video in Russia.

The mini-series posits that President Thomas Jefferson did indeed have a decades long affair with his slave Sally Hemings and that in fact it was a love affair on both sides. The mini-series charts the course of this relationship from the time Jefferson served as ambassador to France in the 1780s until his death in 1826. Synopsis

"If you're doing something like this, you must do some sort of justice to the character -- if for no other reason then that Jefferson is a much beloved character in American history ... It's such an opportunity as an actor if you're playing a character with so much material that is known about him." -- Sam Neill

Images from Sally Hemings Sounds from Sally Hemings
Images Sounds


Numero Bruno -- TV Documentary (TV One and Hoodwink Productions)

with Bruno Lawrence, Simon Morris, Roger Donaldson, Veronica Lawrence, Ian Mune, Alun Bollinger 
Directed by Steve LaHood
Photo of Sam Neill as Himself in Numero Bruno
Himself
Broadcast on TV in New Zealand and Australia.

Documentary tracing the life and career of Kiwi acting legend (and musical performer) Bruno Lawrence.


Photo of Sam Neill as Professor Mortlock
Professor Mortlock

My Mother Frank (Beyond Films)

with Sinéad Cusack, Matthew Newton 
Directed by Mark Lamprell
On video in Australia; on DVD in the U.K.

David is a university student who lives with his mother Frank, a woman still grieving over the death of her husband. When Frank decides to go back to university, David must learn to adapt as his mother reveals herself to be an actual person and individual, more than he ever expected. Synopsis

"I'm certainly the antagonist in this film -- if there's a bad guy, it's me. I'm here to serve the story ... I don't think he's really a bad guy, he just goes about things the wrong way." -- Sam Neill

Images from My Mother Frank
Images


The Magic Pudding (Energee Entertainment)

with Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, John Cleese, Jack Thompson, Mary Coustas, Dave Gibson, Greg Carroll, Toni Collette 

Based on The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay
Illustration of Sam Sawnoff
Sam Sawnoff, 
the penguin bold
(voice)
On video and DVD in Australia and UK.

Bunyip Bluegum, a koala, joins the Noble Society of Puddin' Owners. Together with members Sam Sawnoff and Bill Barnacle, he helps to protect Albert, the Magic Pudding from puddin' thieves and to keep the pudding from getting itself into trouble when it tries to run away. Synopsis

"The most fun I had was working with Hugo, specifically doing the songs. I'd never been asked to sing in a film before and we had a great time with it!" -- Sam Neill

Images from The Magic Pudding
Images

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Films A-Z | 1974-79 | 1980-84 | 1985-89 | 1990-94 | 1995-99 | 2000-04 | Top of Page

To Sam Neill Home Page

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Final Update: January 15, 2005

Copyright © Erika Grams 1995-2005 / Thanks to the Ibiblio.org for hosting this site and for technical assistance. Additional thanks to Kevin Nicastro for years of help and assistance and to all the wonderful members over the past 10 years of the Sam Neill Mailing Lists!

Last Updated: 15-Jan-2005 11:10

Additional Images from Ender's Design: Realm Graphics
Thanks to Robin and Justin for work in tracking down soundtrack information!