BIOGRAPHY SAM NEILL Sam Neill plays Vince Lord in "STRONG MEDICINE," an ambitious scientist at Felding-Roth whose quest for power within the company pits him against Celia Grey (Pamela Sue Martin). "I play a villain in the picture and I enjoy it immensely," Neill says. "I've played a few of them before and I've found that there is a sort of discipline that is required. No one is all good or all bad so you have to provide a little more than just a straight down the line bad guy. "Although I like to think that villains are far removed from my own character, I think I enjoy playing them so much because the more psychological warts and bumps you've got the more graphic a character becomes. It's much more difficult to make a good guy three-dimensional." Having spent his childhood in New Zealand, Neill developed a keen interest in film while still in college. He trained as an editor and began making documentary films while still acting on stage. Between 1974 and 1977 he played lead roles in such feature films as "ASHES," "LANDFALL," and "SLEEPING DOGS." Neill then moved to Australia to play the lead in the award- winning film "MY BRILLIANT CAREER," which brought him international attention. He later starred as the devil in the third of the Omen trilogy films "FINAL CONFLICT" and appeared in such features as "IVANHOE," "COUNTRY GIRLS," "THE BLOOD OF OTHERS," and "ROBBERY UNDER ARMS." His most recent film was "PLENTY," starring Meryl Streep and John Gielgud. "Acting is full of penalties and traps," Neill says. "I think it's a very unfair profession for a lot of people because while there are hundreds of very talented actors, very few people actually make it. And for those who do make it there are great penalties that go with the sort of instant, enormous success that a lot of actors enjoy. But, despite that, I can't think of anything I'd sooner do."