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Sam Neill Reveals the Reason He Changed His Name From ‘Nigel’ During His Childhood

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill revealed the reason he changed his first name after getting teased too much during his childhood over his birth moniker.

“I was christened Nigel Neill — that’s like my parents giving me a disadvantage from the start,” Sam, 76, told Kelly when the Emmy winner said she just found out his real name. Sam added how he thought the name change as a child helped him out professionally later in his life, telling Kelly, “There are no film actors called Nigel Neill. For his services as an actor, Sam was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 during Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday honors.

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