How Sam Neill reconnected with his son 25 years after placing him up for adoption

Sam Neill detailed in a 2014 interview with the Sunday Times how he reconnected with his son Andrew 25 years after placing him up for adoption. Neill explained Andrew was adopted when he "was very small" and Neill himself was in his early 20s. They went looking for each other after 25 years, and Neill said the reunion was "nothing sentimental" — "No one sobs in anyone's arms; it's much more grown-up." Neill had three other children: son Tim with actress Lisa Harrow, daughter Elena with ex-wife Noriko Watanabe, and adopted Watanabe's daughter Maiko from a previous relationship. He was mostly private about family life but announced the birth of his grandson Nahlo in 2021. In March 2023, Neill told the Guardian that watching his grandchildren grow up was one reason he'd be "annoyed" if he died, though he was "not afraid to die." His family announced his "sudden and unexpected" death on Monday at age 78.