As a kid, I saw the final conflict on Spectrum. Sam Neill played Damien Thorne, the embodiment of evil in the finale of The Omen trilogy with such charisma and vileness that I was kind of scared of the actor for years to come. I still shudder at the sentence: "Disciples of the Watch...." The same effect was had on me by Powers Boothe due to his performance as Jim Jones in The Guyana Tragedy. They both could come across with that smile and voice, and with the slightest of facial gymnastics become something else entirely, the beast. It was obvious from that early appearance, Neill was a skilled thespian.
But Neill went on to play many great roles that made him endearing to me. These are just a few of many, but there are Jurassic Park, In the Mouth of Madness, and of course, one of my personal favorites, The Dish with Patrick Warburton. The Dish is of the great underrated films of the 90s. Neill's understated wisdom and warmth were the anchor to a motion picture that deserves re-evaluation.
I’m so sad to see him go. even though he frightened me so intensely as Damien Thorne, which has him firmly locked in my core memories. The change in my heart was so dramatic, that it’s worth noting here. It takes a special actor to be able to bridge that range so effectively and consistently.
Rest in peace, Mr. Neill, you were a great actor and from what I’ve read, for all intents and purposes, a hell of a person too. He told great stories with that Australian twang, and that fact is well noted. It’s been just a short while since I woke to this sad news this morning, but I’ve already heard many testimonies of the quality of Sam’s nature. He will be strongly missed.
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