SAM Frears grins as he shows off his most prized possession - a keyring engraved with his motto ‘it will pass.’

The 44-year-old has defied the odds to survive an extremely rare life-limiting condition to become a successful actor - and those three words of hope are testament to his positive outlook on life.

"If you think about it, everything passes, eventually.

"You just have to grit your teeth and bite the bullet. Feeling furious and resentful doesn't get you anywhere.

"You only get one chance in life so you have to take it with both hands and enjoy it."

That is exactly what Sam, a blind actor, rock climber and adventure seeker, is determined to do.

Today he is in Bournemouth for his film director father's latest premiere Florence Foster Jenkins starring Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep in aid of a charity close to his heart, the Dorset Blind Association.

In a few weeks he will star in a BBC series Love, Nina with Helena Bonham Carter who has become a family friend.

And he's already planning to return to Bournemouth to have a go on the Pier's daunting 820ft zipwire run.

"Your disability shouldn't stop you achieving your goals.

"There is no point dwelling on what I can't do because there are plenty of things I can do."

Sam was born with a condition so rare it took 18 months to diagnose and his parents were told the devastating news he had just a 50 per cent chance of surviving until his fifth birthday.

Riley-Day syndrome or Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a genetic disorder affecting the development of the nervous system and it is thought there are only 350 people in the world who have the condition.

His mother sensed something was wrong when her newborn son cried without tears and his aunt who worked as a paediatrician pushed for a diagnosis.

Today, Sam’s speech and movement are affected, he is blind in one eye and has limited vision in the other, cannot cry, is indifferent to pain and he has so much difficulty swallowing he has to take extra fluids through a tube directly into his stomach five times every day.

"I do get blue sometimes, annoyed, anxious, and angry.

"Sight loss is scary. I'm not going to lie."

Remarkably though, despite the challenges he faces, Sam believes he is lucky and is grateful to his parents BAFTA award winning director Stephen Frears and his mother Mary-Kay Wilmers, editor of the London Review of Books, for their support.

“I’ve been very fortunate and I’ve done a lot of fantastic things. I’ve been brought up really well by two wonderful parents.

“I can still do things other people can, within reason. I can still go different places and experience new things and for that I feel very lucky."

It was Sam's father Stephen, who introduced him to the Dorset Blind Association.

Stephen, whose work includes The Queen, Philomena and Dangerous Liaisons, has a home in Dorset and began volunteering with the charity.

Sam met the charity and began taking part in activities such as acoustic shooting and other social events.

Sam, who goes to the gym three times a week, and has abseiled the Avon Gorge for charity, said: "I'd love to come to Bournemouth to try the zipwire.

"It's an amazing charity which shows people with sight loss there are no limits.

"Like when I am acting, you feel totally free. You can forget about yourself and forget about your problems. You get a real buzz after you've done it and you can just forget about your disability.

"It is a very good charity. They show you that life can go on and it does.

"You just have to go out and have as much fun as possible."

*Sam's latest work airing on May 20 is Nick Hornby's TV adaptation of Love, Nina.