Neil was born in South London, the eldest of three. He was educated at Woolverstone Hall, a boarding school in Suffolk, where he gained his first acting experience. He trained at the Central School for Speech and Drama and spent the 1980s in constant work in the theatre and playing small TV parts, especially in sitcoms such as That's Love (1988) and Chelmsford 123 (1988). His break came in 1990 as "Dave", in the award winning sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey (1990), and his success has been further established as the lead in the highly acclaimed TV police drama Between the Lines (1992). He still lives (alone) in South London and supports Spurs.
杰拉丁·萨莫维尔1967年5月19日出生于爱尔兰的米斯郡。父亲是一位金融专家，母亲则是以为古董商人，杰拉丁身上留着贵族家庭的血液，和英国皇室也有着血缘关系。从六岁开始，杰拉丁就进入舞蹈班学习，八岁的时候被送往住读学校。在寄宿学校开始学习芭蕾舞，十六岁时离开寄宿学校，到伦敦学习。1989年，杰拉丁进入伦敦戏剧学校学习表演。
