--- description: Find out why Neil Gaiman is one of the 100 most influential people of 2023. title: Neil Gaiman: The 100 Most Influential People of 2023 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt955bcaf1200055d7/698a3bdbb21a9c7a77507255/neil-gaiman-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 13, 2023 # Neil Gaiman by James McAvoy  Mamadi Doumbouya What I admire most about [Neil Gaiman](https://time.com/6204063/neil-gaiman-interview-the-sandman-netflix/ "undefined") is his belief in the necessity of storytelling: it’s something we need on a DNA level. I first read a book by Neil when I was 14 years old. It was [_Good Omens_](https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/5898465/good-omens/ "undefined")_,_ his brilliant 1990 collaboration with Terry Pratchett. Two decades later, I got the opportunity to star in the 2013 BBC radio adaptation of [_Neverwhere_](https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/5898471/neverwhere/ "undefined")_._ I remember feeling so excited that I was being inducted into his sphere of influence—one that has only grown. It’s fantastic to see Neil’s work gain new fans, most recently with the Netflix adaptation of his award-winning comic-book series [_The Sandman._](https://time.com/6202652/the-sandman-netflix-review/ "undefined") Neil’s point of entry into the storytelling realm is darkly fantastical and occultish. The way he writes makes you feel like you’re being let in on a massive secret. His worlds are hidden, shrouded in mystery, yet they’re never that far removed from ours. They’re always just barely within your peripheral vision—under the street or in a dark building or at the end of a lane. He brings dreamscapes to life. _McAvoy is an actor_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/"},"headline":"Neil Gaiman","datePublished":"2023-04-13T10:32:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:07.425Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","sponsorshipblock","TIME100 2023"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt955bcaf1200055d7/698a3bdbb21a9c7a77507255/neil-gaiman-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt955bcaf1200055d7/698a3bdbb21a9c7a77507255/neil-gaiman-time100-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/","name":"Neil Gaiman"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 | The 100 Most Influential People of 2023","description":"See all the people on Time's 2023 Time 100 list","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/P6RIsapV/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-04-13T10:30:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/P6RIsapV.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/","duration":"PT1M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2023/6269441/neil-gaiman/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```