New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for his role as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, has died aged 78 in Sydney, Australia, his family has announced.
In a statement released the family described his death as “sudden and unexpected”, adding that the acclaimed actor was surrounded by loved ones in his final moments.
“It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing in Sydney Australia,” the statement said, using the Māori word for family.
The family said Neill had recently been declared cancer-free after undergoing treatment for lymphoma, describing that as a blessing despite the unexpected nature of his death.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
No cause of death was disclosed, although the statement confirmed he had been receiving treatment at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”
Tributes quickly poured in from political leaders in New Zealand and Australia, celebrating Neill’s contribution to cinema and the arts.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described him as “one of the greats”, saying the actor helped take New Zealand’s stories to a global audience.
“For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today — one of our greatest cultural exports. His work will be watched and loved long after all of us.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill held “a special place in Australian hearts”.
“Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered.”
Born in Northern Ireland, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and later adopted the name “Sam”, saying he believed it suited life in New Zealand better than his birth name, Nigel John Dermot.
After beginning his acting career in New Zealand and Australia, he achieved international fame in 1993 with his starring role in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. He went on to reprise the role in later instalments of the blockbuster franchise.
Across a career spanning more than five decades, Neill appeared in acclaimed productions including The Hunt for Red October, Peaky Blinders, The Piano and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, while remaining a strong supporter of New Zealand’s film industry.
Neill publicly revealed he had stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his memoir, written during chemotherapy. Earlier this year, however, he announced he was cancer-free after receiving a genetic therapy that modified his immune system.
“I’ve just had a scan… and there is no cancer in my body — that’s an extraordinary thing,” he told Australia’s Channel Seven News.
Away from acting, Neill also owned and operated vineyards in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.
