Inside Sam Neill's Family Life: Everything to Know About His Ex-Wives and 4 Children

Sam Neill was notoriously private about his family life.

The Jurassic Park actor, who died on July 13 at age 78, called himself a "solitary single man" following his split from journalist Laura Tingle in 2023.

"I wonder if that's a personal failing or just bad luck," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I am past my use-by date and would not marry again. These days I'm lucky if I go on the odd date. That suits me well, but it's also a bit lonely."

Following his death, OK! can reveal everything to know about Neill's family life.

The Peaky Blinders actor was born Nigel John Dermot Neill on September 14, 1947, to parents Priscilla Beatrice Ingham and Dermot Neill.

In his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?, he explained why he adopted the name "Sam."

"The one thing I resent about my parents, the only thing, is that they called me Nigel," he wrote. "Changing my name to Sam at the age of 11 was probably the best decision I made in my life. I found I moved more easily in the world as a Sam. Nigel is an awkward fit in most circumstances. Imagine being a movie actor called Nigel Neill."

In the August 2024 premiere episode of the Australian interview series The Assembly, one of the autistic journalism students at Sydney's Macquarie University asked Sam what was "the best lesson" he learned from his parents.

"Oh, wow. That's a really interesting question. That's a really, really interesting question. I think there were," he said, pausing to compose himself as he became visibly emotional. "I don't know why that question has moved me so much, but it has."

He continued, "My parents were of the generation that went through a lot of things. They went through the Depression. My mother lost her father in the First [World] War, so she grew up without her father. So they went through a lot of stuff. But they were very stoic people."

Sam then shared the best lesson he learned from his parents by recalling the time he was attending university.

"I was acting in plays and trying to find a girlfriend and all that stuff. It came to exam time, and I realized I'd done almost no work. It got me very anxious," he shared. "Anyway, I got home, and mom said, 'How are you, darling?' and I said, 'Oh, Mom, I think I'm having a breakdown! And I've got exams in a couple weeks and I don't know how I'm gonna —.' She just looked at me and she said, 'Well, you're just going to have to pull yourself together, aren't you?' And I think that was the best lesson I learnt from her, is sometimes you just have to pull yourself together."

According to the Daily Mail, Sam tied the knot with Lisa Harrow in 1981 after meeting on the set of Omen III: The Final Conflict in London — though other news outlets reported the two were never married.

Their relationship lasted until 1989. That year, he went on to marry Japanese makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, whom he had met on the set of Dead Calm two years earlier.

"My ex-wife, film make-up artist Noriko Watanabe, and I were married for almost 30 years," he shared in 2023.

Sam and Noriko ended their marriage with a divorce in 2017. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople star never remarried, but he dated Tingle between 2018 and 2021 before they split.

"I had three wonderful years with Laura Tingle, and I am so grateful for that," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sam was a father-of-four.

When he was in his early 20s, he welcomed his first son, Andrew, who was placed for adoption. He told The Times he and Andrew did not see each other for 25 years before they "went looking for each other."

"These reunions are portrayed as sentimental and grisly, but there is nothing sentimental about it. No one sobs in anyone’s arms; it's much more grown-up," he shared.

Sam welcomed his second son, Tim, with Lisa in 1983, and daughter Elena with Noriko in 1991. He also adopted Noriko's daughter, Maiko Spencer, from her previous marriage.