Tribute to Sam Neill's Wolsey

I could not believe my eyes when I’ve read that actor Sam Neill died yesterday at the age of 78. He was one of my favourite actors, and I’ve literally grown up watching his films.

My favourite, however, was Sam Neill’s portrayal of Cardinal Wolsey in The Tudors. His performance in that series contributed to my fascination with the Tudor period, ultimately leading me to research it more deeply, and eventually study the era.

In real life, Wolsey was said to have been:

‘… very handsome, learned, extremely eloquent, of vast ability, and indefatigable. He alone transacts all the business that occupies all the magistrates, offices, and councils of Venice. He has the reputation of being extremely just. He favours the people exceedingly, and especially the poor, hearing their suits and making the lawyers plead gratis for them.’

Wolsey was a divisive character - people either loved or hated him. He rose to prominence from humble origins, and was disparaged as ‘son of a butcher’. People accused him of usurping the royal authority; he was styled alter rex (the other king) or even ipse rex (the king himself) by foreign ambassadors such as the Venetian ambassador Sebastiano Giustiniani.

Wolsey was far from perfect. He maintained a long-term mistress and fathered two illegitimate children. Anne Boleyn despised him for ending her betrothal to Henry Percy, the son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland.

He also had many enemies at court, and his failure to secure papal approval for the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon ultimately led to his downfall—although that failure was not truly his fault. Powerful political forces were at work behind the scenes, forces beyond the control of either Wolsey or Henry VIII.

Sam Neill’s portrayal of Wolsey captured these complexities beautifully. He conveyed Wolsey’s immense self-confidence and sense of superiority while also portraying his dramatic fall from power with equal conviction. Rather than presenting him as either a hero or a villain, Neill revealed Wolsey as a deeply human figure, gifted and ambitious, yet ultimately as flawed as anyone else.

Rest in peace, Sam. Your talent and the characters you brought to life will always be remembered. I’ll always see you when I think of Wolsey.