Sam Neill has spoken at length about his “slightly unusual family” and how they reunited with son Andrew 25 years after giving him up for adoption.
More than a decade before Neil died, he made a rare comment to the Sunday Times about his family: “They’re more generous than most.”
The “Jurassic Park” actor explained that Andrew was adopted when his eldest son was “very young.”
“I was also pretty small in my early 20s,” the actor said in a 2014 interview. “We hadn’t seen each other for 25 years, but then we started looking for each other.”
Mr Neil said that while most reunions are “portrayed as sentimental and gruesome”, there was “nothing sentimental” about his and Andrew’s reconciliation.
“No one sobs in someone’s arms. They’re much more grown-ups,” he said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Neil said his advice to his 20-year-old self: “You’re more capable than you think you are.”
Neil, who died on Monday at the age of 78, had three children in addition to Andrew.
His second son, Tim, was born in 1983 with actress Lisa Harrow. The two met on the set of the 1981 film The Omen III: The Last Clash.
Neil has a daughter, Elena, with his ex-wife, Japanese makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, whom he was married to from 1989 to 2017.
The “Peaky Blinders” star has adopted daughter Maiko from Watanabe’s previous relationship.
Although Neil has remained largely private about his family life, he announced on Instagram in 2021 that he had welcomed his grandson Nalo.
“Love. I don’t talk about my family in the media, unless it’s brand new. This is my newborn grandchild, my best child, Naro, who is two weeks old,” Neil wrote, along with a photo of him holding the newborn.
“It’s very calm, you don’t have to make a fuss. You just eat, sleep and think about things,” he continued. “My parents were happy, everyone was happy, especially me. Love.”
In March 2023, Neil told the Guardian that watching his “cute grandchildren” grow up was one of the reasons he would be “frustrated” if he died.
However, Neal also said at the time, “I’m not afraid of dying.”
Neil’s family announced his “sudden and unexpected” death two months after his battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma confirmed he was cancer-free.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sam Neill passed away on Monday, July 13th in Sydney, Australia,” the family said in a statement.
Neil “died with the dignity that lived through his life,” his loved ones noted.
They also promised that “details will be shared later.”
