Sam Neill

Born: 14 September 1947
Where: Omagh, Northern Ireland

The versatile actor has appeared in a wealth of top billing movies ranging from Jurassic Park to The Piano.

He has James Mason to thank for his success - the legendary British actor lobbied for Neill to be cast iin 1981's The Final Conflict after seeing him in My Brilliant Career.

Born to military parents, Neill moved to New Zealand aged five where he went to school and later graduated from university with a BA in English Literature.

After graduating, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theatre groups, then spent six years working in the New Zealand National Film Unit as a scriptwriter, editor and director.

His first feature film was Sleeping Dogs and he moved to Australia to star in My Brilliant Career two years later, just as Australian film-making entered its renaissance.

Neill's compelling portrayal of a man accused of murdering his baby daughter in A Cry in the Dark brought him international acclaim.

Next up was the accomplished thriller Dead Calm (where he met his wife make-up artist Noriko Watanabe) with a young Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane.

Supporting roles followed in submarine thriller The Hunt for Red October, Death in Brunswick and the French Memoirs of an Invisible Man.

In 1993, he starred in the Oscar-winning The Piano alongside Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel as well as being awarded an OBE for services to acting.

Next came a turn as a paleontologist who encounters dinosaurs in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, a role he reprised for Jurassic Park 3.

Subsequent parts included appearances in period drama Restoration, sci-fi thriller Event Horizon and The Horse Whisperer.

In 2001, Neill starred in the Australian comedy The Dish, which was screened at Sundance and proved to be a big box office success.

Reining back on film work, he also runs a winery in New Zealand where he produces the Two Paddocks pinor noir.

Recent work includes the role of Kirsten Dunst's overprotective dad in the rom-com Wimbledon.