Born in Northern Ireland to army parents, his family returned to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954. He went to boarding schools and then attended the universities at Canterbury and Victoria. He has a BA in English Literature. Following his graduation, he worked with the New Zealand Players and other theater groups. He also was a film director, editor and scriptwriter for the New Zealand National Film Unit for 6 years. His first feature film was Sleeping Dogs. He then moved to Australia and his performance in My Brilliant Career was noticed in London by British actor James Mason who lobbied for Neill to get the lead role in The Final Conflict. Because of this, Neill moved to England where he also became famous as the title character in Reilly: Ace of Spies. After his Great Britain stint, he moved back to Australia in the late 1980s. He now makes films all over the world. In 1993, he achieved "commercial and critical success" with Jurassic Park and The Piano.
One son, Tim, with Lisa Harrow, a daughter Elena with Noriko Watanabe, and a step-daughter Maiko. Met wife Noriko Watanabe on the set of Dead Calm where she served as a make-up artist. He has homes in Beverly Hills, Sydney and New Zealand. Awarded the O.B.E. for Service to Acting (1993). "Best Actor on British Television" for _"Reilly: The Ace of Spies" (1983) (mini)_ , Australian Film Institute Award "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" for Evil Angels (aka A Cry in the Dark). His vineyard is in the Gibbston Valley, Otago. His wine is a Pinot Noir called Two Paddocks. One of the original candidates for the fourth and fifth actor to portray James Bond - 007 in The Living Daylights and GoldenEye. Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan ended up as James Bond, respectively. Montana is a recurring element in his films: in The Hunt for Red October he wants to live in Montana; in The Horse Whisperer he goes to Montana to find with his wife; in Jurassic Park he is digging up fossils in Montana. He is one of the three founders of Huntaway Films, along with his good friends John Clarke and Jay Cassells. Was considered for the role of the villainous "Doc Ock" in Spider-Man 2. His wife ended up as the principal make-up & hair stylist for Kirsten Dunst in the movie. He is a big fan of The Beach Boys. Moved to New Zealand at age 7.