Sam Neill is officially a Sir after being knighted in New Zealand.
The Jurassic Park actor, 75, who was born in Northern Ireland, accepted redesignation as a Knight Companion of the country’s Order of Merit.
New Zealand’s current Governor-General, Dame Cindy Kiro, presented him with the award earlier this week – ‘tapping’ the actor ‘with the sword’.
Sir Sam revealed the news on Twitter and Instagram, saying: ‘Greatly honoured today by the Governor- General Dame Cindy Kiro at Govt House Auckland.’
He continued: ‘Redesignated Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Dame Cindy was kind enough to tap me with the sword. Big day, very grateful.’
The post was accompanied by a picture of a proud Sir Sam posing alongside Dame Cindy while donning his brand new medal.
Sir Sam was originally designated as a Distinguished Companion back in 2007, which gave him the option to become a Knight Companion in 2009.
However, he decided against this at the time, saying being referred to as ‘Sir’ would be ‘just too grand, by far’, but now it appears he’s changed his mind.
The New Zealand government say that the Knight Companion is an award for ‘those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown’.
In addition, the government says the title is given to those ‘who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits’.
In 1991, Sir Sam was presented with an OBE as part of the Queen’s birthday honours list – he was given the award for services to acting.
Sir Sam is most famous for appearing as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World trilogies, as well as appearing Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder.
He has also appeared in 1980s cult horror movie Possession, 1990s science fiction horror Event Horizon, and Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Sir Sam admitted last year that he was ‘baffled’ by the Marvel Universe, saying that it was a ‘complete mystery’ to him, often wondering ‘which planet’ he’s on.
He told an Australian radio station: ‘I’ve never understood any of the Thor films; in fact the whole Marvel universe is a complete mystery to me.’
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