New Zealand actor and Jurassic Park star Sam Neill dies aged 78
Sam Neill’s family announced the New Zealand actor has died age 78. He had previously battled cancer but his death came at a shock.
Beloved New Zealand actor and Hollywood star Sam Neill has died at the age of 78.
The announcement was made on Monday afternoon on Neill’s Instagram page.
“It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July in Sydney, Australia,” the post read. The Maori whanau means extended family.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” it continued. “The loss was sudden and unexpected, but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
Neill’s family had thanked the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney, and said that more details would be shared at a later time. His family has asked for privacy as “they navigate this immeasurable loss”.
Neill had been diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022, which he revealed publicly in 2023. In April this year, the actor said a recent scan had showed he was cancer-free.
In June, he made public appearances at the Sydney Film Festival to promote his upcoming film, The Fox.
Neill was born in Omagh in Northern Ireland in 1947 as Nigel Neill. His father was a New Zealander and the family returned to Aotearoa in 1954, settling in Christchurch.
He spent one year studying law at University before he turned to acting, originally on stage. His first screen role was in New Zealand on the TV series The City of No in 1971.
By the end of the decade, he had scored roles in Australia, most notably as the love interest Frank in Gillian Armstrong’s adaptation of My Brilliant Career. The film, a classic of the Australian New Wave, was a breakthrough for his career, as well as that of Armstrong’s and lead star Judy Davis.
Not long after, Hollywood came calling, and he had been cast in the American production Omen III: The Final Conflict. He worked steadily throughout the 1980s including opposite Meryl Streep as Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels, a dramatisation of the Lindy Chamberlain story.
Neill’s star rose considerably in the 1990s in Hollywood with memorable roles in the likes of Jurassic Park, The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, Sirens and Event Horizon.
He returned to the Jurassic Park universe as palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park III, and in the later films Jurassic World Dominion and Jurassic World Rebirth.
Despite his Hollywood fame, Neill also stuck close to home and continued to work in New Zealand and Australia.
Locally, he made The Dish, Little Fish, Sweet Country, Palm Beach, Peter Rabbit, Ride Like a Girl, the drama series The Twelve, and Taika Waititi’s Kiwi film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Neill also owned a farm and four vineyards in Central Otago, and he often posted about his adventures on social media, including showcasing his many animals which he named after famous people he worked with – including a ram called Hugo Weaving and a cow named Helena Bonham Carter.
Throughout his illness, he continued to work prolifically, and still has three unreleased projects upcoming – The Fox, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort.
He published a memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This, in 2024, and he told The Guardian of his work ethic, “I probably work more than I should, but that’s because I enjoy it so much.
“The idea of not working feels me with dread. Some of it is to do with coming from a little place. Some of it is to do with coming from a little place, the most obscure place in the world, as far from anything as you could get, and being asked to do something with an international dimension.
“How immensely seductive is that?”
News of Neill’s sudden passing sparked a number of tributes from leading figures in both entertainment and political circles, including from both Australia and New Zealand’s prime ministers.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill’s considerable body of work Down Under meant he had “earned a special place in Australian hearts”.
“Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts,” Mr Albanese wrote on X/Twitter.
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, 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. May he rest in peace.”
It was a similar sentiment from New Zealand counterpart Chris Luxon, who described Neill as “one of the greats”.
“He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. 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. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace.”
There were also heartfelt messages from the entertainment world, including from Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow.
“He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I’ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters,” he said on social media.
“It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful.”
Neill is survived by four children, and at least eight grandchildren.
