Love him or hate him, but Sam Neill's Inspector Campbell remains one of the most defining antagonists in Peaky Blinders, serving as an influential archenemy of Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy).As Hollywood mourns the loss of the beloved New Zealand star, who passed away at age 78, we look back at his enduring legacy as Inspector Campbell.Introduced in Season 1 of Steven Knight's beloved crime drama series, loosely based on the real-life urban youth gang active in Birmingham from the 1880s to the 1920s, Campbell was a menace who arrived in the city with a personal vendetta against the Shelbies. While Knight's drama series has featured many memorable antagonists, including Sam Claflin's Oswald Mosley and Adrien Brody's Luca Changretta, Sam Neill's antagonist is known for his authoritative & determined personality, which even became a threat to a powerful crime boss like Tommy in the sophomore season.More on this in our story.Remembering Sam Neill as Inspector Campbell in Peaky BlindersTommy Shelby's entrance on a black horse, riding through Birmingham's soot-covered streets as Peaky Blinders' opening credits roll, remains one of television's most iconic and unforgettable introductions. For a series that practically worshipped its central anti-hero to a fault, Sam Neill's character managed to carve out his own space, with his manipulative yet charismatic ways.Inspector Campbell was a man on a Mission, sent to Birmingham by Winston Churchill himself to retrieve a shipment of guns, accidentally stolen by the titular gang, which eventually became a great opportunity for Tommy. While Campbell maintained that he despised corruption and would 'wipe out the filth from the city,' he used excessive brutality and torturous methods to gain what he wanted. When his planted spy, Grace, the woman he fell in love with, forgot all about her mission and fell for Tommy, Campbell became envious of the crime boss and made his death his personal mission.In addition to Tommy and the Shelby family, Sam Neill's character extorted Aunt Polly into having s*x with him in exchange for releasing her son from prison, practically r*ping her in the process. His dominant and sadistic behaviour towards both Grace and Aunt Polly led to serious consequences, with both women unleashing their violent side on Campbell.While most Peaky Blinders villains wanted to defeat Tommy Shelby, Inspector Campbell took pride in toying with his prey, exposing his evil and sadistic ways, which makes him one of the most hated antagonists in the series, all thanks to the late actor's flawless portrayal.Peaky Blinders' team paid tribute to Sam Neill View this post on Instagram Instagram PostFollowing the actor's passing, the Peaky Blinders team paid tribute to Sam Neill on social media. The series' official Instagram page paid respects to the late star as:“We are devastated to hear that Sam Neill has died...Sam was one of the key forces that got Peaky Blinders off to a running start, for which we will be forever grateful. Our love and thoughts are with his family.”In addition, Peaky Blinders stars Joe Cole and Finn Cole paid their heartfelt tributes to the late star.In 2023, Sam Neill revealed his Stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer diagnosis, to fans. While the actor revealed that he was cancer-free in April, his sudden death has left his friends, family, and fans devastated. In a statement, the late actor's family revealed that he was ''surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life...''In addition to Peaky Blinders, the Golden Globe-nominated actor is best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films and Alisdair Stewart in Jane Campion's historical romance film The Piano on the big screen. His small screen presence is marked by projects such as The Tudors, Happy Town, and Merlin.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.