The New Zealand actor tested to replace Roger Moore as James Bond.
Sam Neill as Sidney Reilly in Reilly, Ace of Spies
I was sorry to read of the death of Sam Neill this morning, at the age of 78. While he never appeared in a Bond film, he screen tested for the role in 1986 as the producers looked for Roger Moore’s replacement. He later said his heart wasn’t really in it and that he only attended after pressure from his agent. Timothy Dalton eventually got the part in The Living Daylights.
While many will remember him for his roles in Jurassic Park, The Hunt of Red October, The Piano, or Peaky Blinders, for me he’ll always be Sidney Reilly in the 1983 TV show Reilly, Ace of Spies. Incidentally, six episodes were directed by Martin Campbell.
Born in Northern Ireland in 1947 to Anglo-Kiwi parents his family moved to New Zealand when he was seven, and he began his screen career there during the 1970s.
His death in Sydney was described by his family as sudden and unexpected. Neill had been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in 2022, but was cancer-free when he died.
He is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.
