Sir Sam's remarkable career took him from his humble acting roots as a member of the UC Drama Society to the international arena where he gained world-wide recognition working with such acclaimed directors as Stephen Spielberg, Chris Columbus, Jane Campion and Taika Waititi.
Sir Sam graduated from UC with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1972. During his time at UC, he appeared in several University productions, with his interest in acting fuelled by legendary theatre director Dame Ngaio Marsh.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 for services to acting, and in 2022 was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to drama and charitable causes. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, UC awarded Sir Sam an Honorary Doctorate of Letters in 2002.
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