Sam Neill Was More Than His Jurassic Park Role. Here Are His Best Movies And Shows

In the short twenty-two short years of my life, I have met roughly two groups of people who know (and love) Sam Neill: one who grew up with his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, and the other who know him as the clever inspector, Chestor Campbell, in Peaky Blinders. But Sam Neill was so much more than that, his brilliance shining through across roles like Captain Borodin in the Cold War classic The Hunt for Red October and Alistair Stewart in Jane Campion's The Piano. Below, we remember some of his most memorable roles in movies and TV shows.

Best Sam Neill Movies And TV Shows

Before fantasy television became dominated by sprawling franchises, Merlin offered a fresh spin on the Arthurian legend. Sam Neill appeared as King Uther Pendragon, the ruthless ruler whose fear and hatred of magic shaped Camelot long before Arthur could become the king history remembers. Although his role was brief, Neill brought gravitas to the character, portraying a monarch driven as much by paranoia as by duty. His presence added emotional weight to the series' exploration of legacy, power and the consequences of intolerance.

Where to watch: Prime Video

Released in 1997, Event Horizon has grown from an underappreciated box office disappointment into a cult sci-fi horror classic. Sam Neill stars as Dr. William Weir, the brilliant scientist who designed the missing spacecraft Event Horizon, only to join a rescue mission after it mysteriously returns from deep space seven years later. Neill's (absolutely f****d up) transformation from grieving scientist to the far more sinister being he becomes will still haunt you, thirty years later.

Where to watch: Prime Video (on rent)

Jane Campion's Oscar-winning masterpiece cast Sam Neill as Alisdair Stewart, a reserved New Zealand settler who enters an arranged marriage with Holly Hunter's mute Scottish pianist, Ada McGrath. Stewart initially appears stern yet practical, but his inability to understand Ada's emotional world gradually exposes his insecurities and frustrations. Neill plays the role with remarkable restraint, making Alisdair far more layered than a conventional antagonist in a story that explores love, repression and personal freedom.

Where to watch: MUBI

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park turned Sam Neill into a global star thanks to his portrayal of palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant. Initially uncomfortable around children and far more interested in fossils than people, Grant finds himself leading a desperate fight for survival after cloned dinosaurs escape across Isla Nublar. Neill anchored the spectacle with warmth, intelligence and understated humour, ensuring the film's emotional core remained just as memorable as its groundbreaking visual effects.

Where to watch: JioHotstar

Sam Neill delivered one of the standout performances of Peaky Blinders as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, the relentless Belfast detective sent to Birmingham after the First World War to recover a cache of missing weapons and dismantle organised crime. Intelligent, deeply religious and utterly uncompromising, Campbell became the Shelby family's first great adversary. Neill balanced quiet menace with simmering obsession, creating a villain whose psychological battles proved every bit as compelling as the show's explosive gang warfare.

Where to watch: Netflix

Sam Neill brought both authority and vulnerability to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the first season of The Tudors. Serving as King Henry VIII's closest adviser while secretly maintaining a forbidden family and pursuing his own ambitions within the Catholic Church, Wolsey constantly finds himself caught between loyalty, power and personal desire. Neill portrays the cardinal as a deeply conflicted man whose political brilliance is ultimately undone by court intrigue and shifting alliances, resulting in one of the series' most tragic character arcs.

Where to watch: Sony LIV

In John McTiernan's acclaimed Cold War thriller, Sam Neill plays Captain Vasily Borodin, the loyal executive officer aboard the Soviet submarine commanded by Sean Connery's Marko Ramius. While Borodin receives relatively limited screen time, Neill makes every moment count, portraying him as compassionate, thoughtful and quietly hopeful about the possibility of a life beyond the Soviet Union. His performance provides much of the film's emotional heart amid the tense cat-and-mouse naval standoff.

Where to watch: Apple TV (rent)