Sam Neill in ‘Ride Like A Girl’.
Actor, writer, producer and director Sam Neill has been named the recipient of the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award, after being nominated by the Equity board and other Kiwi performers.
“Sam’s career as an actor is remarkable, but what makes this award so special is that it recognises much more than career success,” says Equity NZ president Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
“It acknowledges those members of our industry who give back at every opportunity, who strive to use their influence for important causes and who continually inspire their peers with their good will and humility. Sam leads by example. This award pays tribute to who he is as a person, as much it does his extraordinary talent.”
Neill joined Equity in 1979, and has more than 75 films and over 45 television programs to his credit. His film debut was in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs and his breakthrough role opposite Judy Davis in My Brilliant Career. He went onto international acclaim for roles in Jane Campion’s The Piano and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. His recent film credits include Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Sweet Country, Ride Like a Girl, Palm Beach and the upcoming RAMS.
His work in television includes Reilly, Ace of Spies, Merlin, The Tudors, Crusoe, Happy Town, Alcatraz, Peaky Blinders and ITV miniseries Tutankhamun. He has also presented and narrated several documentaries, including Essential Media/Frame Up Films’ The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill.
Previous recipients of the Equity NZ Lifetime Acheivement Award include: Elizabeth McRae, Dame Kate Harcourt, Ken Blackburn and George Henare.
Neill will receive his award at a ceremony in Auckland in November.