{"id":5232,"date":"2026-07-13T18:23:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5232"},"modified":"2026-07-13T18:23:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T13:23:47","slug":"im-from-northern-ireland-and-sam-neill-was-like-an-honorary-son-to-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5232","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m from Northern Ireland and Sam Neill was like an honorary son to us\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_3d5bec\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Actor Sam Neill, who has died aged 78, grew up playing in the NI countryside and despite everywhere his stellar career took him, never forgot his roots<\/h2>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">14:05, 13 Jul 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 14:05, 13 Jul 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37424414\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"File photo dated 06\/10\/16 of Sam Neill during filming of The Graham Norton Show at the London Studios in London, to be aired on BBC1 on Friday evening. Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill died on Monday aged 78, his family said in a statement. Issue date: Monday July 13, 2026.\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37424414.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_File-photo-dated-061016-of-Sam-Neill-during-filming-of-The-Graham-Norton-Show-at-the-London-Studios-in-London-to-be.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37424414.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_File-photo-dated-061016-of-Sam-Neill-during-filming-of-The-Graham-Norton-Show-at-the-London-Studios-in-London-to-be.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37424414.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_File-photo-dated-061016-of-Sam-Neill-during-filming-of-The-Graham-Norton-Show-at-the-London-Studios-in-London-to-be.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37424414.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_File-photo-dated-061016-of-Sam-Neill-during-filming-of-The-Graham-Norton-Show-at-the-London-Studios-in-London-to-be.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Neill adored his formative years in the Northern Irish countryside\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Neill adored his formative years in the Northern Irish countryside<cite aria-label=\"Image: \u00a9 2026 PA Media, All Rights Reserved\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: \u00a9 2026 PA Media, All Rights Reserved)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Time and again, Irish actors are mistakenly claimed as British (Barry Keoghan, Saoirse Ronan, <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/cillian-murphy\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Cilian Murphy<\/a>, anyone?), particularly when they\u2019re up for or have just won a major accolade &#8211; and it kind of irks me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Now, as a proud Belfast girl, I\u2019m going to unashamedly do exactly the same thing and claim <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/sam-neill\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Sam Neill<\/a>, who has sadly <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/jurassic-park-sam-neill-dead-37397156\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">died at the age of 78<\/a>, as one of our own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The brilliantly understated star of Jurassic Park and <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/peaky-blinders\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Peaky Blinders,<\/a> who appeared in over 100 films, died \u2018unexpectedly\u2019 in Sydney surrounded by family, though poignantly, he had been living cancer-free since April following a three-year battle with the disease.<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37423332\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37423332\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.6853932584269662\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Three men and one woman looking at an egg\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423332.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_GettyImages-129738656-1.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423332.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/1_GettyImages-129738656-1.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423332.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_GettyImages-129738656-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423332.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/1_GettyImages-129738656-1.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"As paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">As paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park<cite aria-label=\"Image: GETTY\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: GETTY)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">And though his family moved to New Zealand when he was just seven &#8211; where he would go on to receive a knighthood in 2022, the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paying tribute to him today as \u2018one of the greats\u2019 &#8211; he spent his formative childhood years in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, to army parents &#8211; Neill\u2019s mother, Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham) was English and his father from New Zealand, but stationed in NI as a British Army officer with the Irish Guards at the time of his birth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The late star once explained that his identity was forever torn between New Zealand, Australia and Northern Ireland, and ever humble said, \u201cIt\u2019s always very nice if people from those places take an interest in me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In a 2014 interview, his love for the country he roamed about freely as a child was still strong in his mind, as he described his pre-Troubles childhood in County Armagh as \u2018idyllic\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt was my idea of the Garden of Eden. I would range freely around the beautiful countryside, and I vividly remember, too, going with my brother to Tyrella beach \u2013 one of the greatest in the British Isles \u2013 and fishing for hours on the rocks; no one was there; it was ours.\u201d<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37423241\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37423241\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.6853932584269662\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"peaky blinders actor sam neill\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423241.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/3_peaky-blinders-actor-sam-neill.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423241.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/3_peaky-blinders-actor-sam-neill.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423241.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/3_peaky-blinders-actor-sam-neill.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423241.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/3_peaky-blinders-actor-sam-neill.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"He had to brush up on his old childhood accent to play Peaky Blinders' Major Chester Campbell\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">He had to brush up on his old childhood accent to play Peaky Blinders&#8217; Major Chester Campbell<cite aria-label=\"Image: BBC\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: BBC)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He previously revealed that he had returned to the town of his roots several times over the years, and admitted that his parents remained nostalgic about their sojourn in the province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cFor my family this was where some of our happiest times were. After my parents left to go back to New Zealand, they were always a little bit wistful about Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It was also poignant that, being away for so long, he had lost all trace of his Northern Irish accent (he once joked he had the accent \u2018beaten out of him\u2019 at school), and asked James Nesbitt and<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/liam-neeson\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Liam Neeson<\/a> for help on h<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/tv\/tv-news\/peaky-blinders-cillian-murphy-spent-2269234\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">is Northern Irish brogue <\/a>to play Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Though his accent as the Ulster-born policeman was spot on in the end, he quipped at the time that he worried he sounded like \u201cthe equivalent of <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/dick-van-dyke\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Dick van Dyke <\/a>in Mary Poppins, doing a terrible Cockney accent. Hopefully it\u2019s not too embarrassing with the natives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It was anything but. The \u2018natives\u2019 loved him, and will be as devastated as I today that we have lost such a great actor.<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-37423704\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"37423704\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 07: Sam Neill attends the 2025 AACTA Awards Presented By Foxtel Group at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on February 07, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images for AFI)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423704.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_FILE-PHOTO-2025-AACTA-Awards-Ceremony-Presented-By-Foxtel-Group-Red-Carpet.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423704.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/2_FILE-PHOTO-2025-AACTA-Awards-Ceremony-Presented-By-Foxtel-Group-Red-Carpet.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423704.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/2_FILE-PHOTO-2025-AACTA-Awards-Ceremony-Presented-By-Foxtel-Group-Red-Carpet.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423704.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/2_FILE-PHOTO-2025-AACTA-Awards-Ceremony-Presented-By-Foxtel-Group-Red-Carpet.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"The late star described his upbringing in the Armagh countryside as 'idyllic'\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The late star described his upbringing in the Armagh countryside as &#8216;idyllic&#8217;<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images for AFI\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images for AFI)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sadly, I never got the chance to interview Neill, but I would have relished the opportunity, not only to talk movies but hear more stories about his deep connections to Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">I will make do, instead, with reminding myself of some of his great onscreen moments &#8211; beyond the blockbusters and smash-hit TV shows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He gave glorious turns in films like The Piano, The Hunt For Red October, thriller Dead Calm &#8211; even 2000 vampire flick Daybreakers with<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/ethan-hawke\" rel=\"follow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Ethan Hawke <\/a>&#8211; a hidden gem that every fan should revisit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">But most of all, everything I\u2019ve ever read about Neill, or seen in interviews, wherever we want to place him on the map &#8211; reveals what a total gentleman he was. With, perhaps, a slightly wicked sense of humour and a knack for telling a great story that only a Northern Ireland could have instilled -but we can argue about that later\u2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Speaking in 2016 about his role in acclaimed low-budget Kiwi flick, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, he joked, &#8220;People are nicer to me in New Zealand as a result of this, because the last time they saw me was as a Northern Irish psychopath in Peaky Blinders and they avoided me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><em>Like this story? 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Jul 2026 Neill adored his formative years in the Northern Irish countryside(Image: \u00a9 2026 PA Media, All Rights Reserved) Time and again,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article37423241.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200d\/3_peaky-blinders-actor-sam-neill.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}