Sir Sam Neill remembered by his old Christchurch school he slammed in memoirs

Author: Ben Tomsett,
Publish Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2026, 1:19pm

Sir Sam Neill attended Christ’s College before studying English at the University of Canterbury and beginning his acting career. Photos / File

Sir Sam Neill has been remembered by his old school as one of Christ’s College’s most distinguished alumni, despite the acclaimed actor’s famously sharp reflections on his time there.

The Christchurch school’s Old Boys’ Association paid tribute to Neill following his death aged 78, describing him as a “remarkable” figure whose career took him “from the classrooms of College to the world stage”.

Neill, who attended Christ’s College before studying at the University of Canterbury and beginning his acting career, became one of New Zealand’s most internationally recognised performers.

“While his talent earned him international recognition, Sir Sam was also admired for his intelligence, wit, humility, and generosity,” the Old Boys’ Association said.

“He remained proudly connected to New Zealand throughout his life and was knighted in 2022 in recognition of his outstanding services to acting.”

Sir Sam Neill was best known internationally for his role as Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. Photo / George Heard

The association extended its condolences to Neill’s family, friends and the wider film community, saying his legacy would endure through his contribution to film and the arts

However, Neill’s own recollections of Christ’s College, published in his 2023 memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?, were far less sentimental.

The actor described the prestigious Christchurch boys’ school as an institution that saw itself as “the elite school”, criticising what he viewed as its culture of privilege and entitlement.

“College thought of itself as an elite school, the elite school, and the fees reflected that. There was an entrance exam, but I never heard of anyone failing. There were boys there who could barely work out how to close a gate, let alone remember the names of English kings,” he wrote.

“There are still people in Canterbury today who consider it a mark of distinction that they were there. This is completely delusional; they just had four or five years of mutual mediocrity, I’m afraid.”

Neill also delivered a characteristically blunt assessment of some of his fellow pupils, writing that many came from generations-old Canterbury farming families.

Sir Sam Neill established Two Paddocks vineyard in Central Otago in 1993, where he produced pinot noir. Photo / George Heard

“Many of the boys there were the product of generations of inbreeding. Canterbury farming families, for some reason, like to marry among their own. The gene pool is very small. You would think that a cursory examination of how they bred their Corriedale sheep would’ve been helpful in this regard. Sadly, no.”

Despite those criticisms, Neill maintained strong ties to New Zealand throughout his life and was proud of his Canterbury roots.

His family announced that he died in Sydney, Australia, yesterday.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” his family said.

His five-decade career included iconic roles in Jurassic Park, Jane Campion’s The Piano, Dead Calm, Peaky Blinders, and Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Neill had revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of stage-three blood cancer.

Earlier this year, he said he was cancer-free following CAR T-cell therapy.

He was also closely associated with Central Otago, where he established Two Paddocks vineyard in 1993 and became a prominent advocate for the region.

Tributes poured in from around the world following his death, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon describing him as “one of the greats” who helped take New Zealand stories to global audiences.

“His work will be watched and loved long after all of us,” Luxon said.

Christ’s College said Neill would be remembered with pride by its community.

“Vale, Sir Sam Neill (7200),” the association said.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.