Actor Sam Neill, widely recognized for his roles in the “Jurassic Park” films and the television drama “Peaky Blinders,” died on Monday at the age of 78.
According to a statement posted to his official social media account, Neill passed away unexpectedly but peacefully, surrounded by his family. The statement noted that the actor was cancer-free at the time of his death.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the family’s statement said. “The loss was sudden and unexpected, but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free.”
Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Northern Ireland, he moved to New Zealand at age seven. He began acting during college at the University of Canterbury, landing his first major lead in the 1977 New Zealand thriller “Sleeping Dogs.” He transitioned to international roles in 1981, starring in “Omen III: The Final Conflict.”
Neill achieved global fame in 1993 as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s blockbusting science fiction film “Jurassic Park,” a role he later reprised in “Jurassic Park III” and “Jurassic World Dominion.” He also appeared in notable films like “Bicentennial Man” and “Event Horizon,” and starred in television productions including “Merlin” and “The Tudors.”
Throughout his career, Neill received numerous honors. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 and was named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.
In March 2023, Neill revealed that he had been diagnosed the previous year with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer. While his initial chemotherapy failed, a subsequent drug treatment successfully put the cancer into remission. Neill wrote his memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?,” during his treatments, later noting that the project gave him “a reason to live.”
Neill is survived by his children, Elena and Tim. The family statement expressed gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney for their care and requested privacy during their time of loss.
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