Bangkok, July 13 (EFE).- New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for his roles in Jurassic Park and The Piano, died suddenly on Monday at the age of 78, his family said.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the statement posted to his Instagram account said. No cause of death was given.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with stage-3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare blood cancer. Three months ago, he announced he was cancer-free after undergoing CAR T-cell immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial in Australia that he joined when his chemotherapy stopped working.
“Last week I had all the scans etc, and I am pleased, indeed delighted to say that there is no cancer in my body. All clear. We are all amazed,” he wrote on his Instagram on Apr. 28.
Neill was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947 to a British mother and New Zealand father stationed in the British military. The family emigrated to Christchurch when he was eight years old.
His debut as a film actor came in the 1977 Roger Donaldson hit Sleeping Dogs, and went on to star in hits such as Jurassic Park, The Piano, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, Sirens, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Peaky Blinders, Thor: Ragnarok and Love and Thunder.
(FILE) New Zealand actor Sam Neill during a photocall for ‘Sweet Country’ during the 74th Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, 06 September 2017. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI
In 1995 he was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his achievements in the film industry and was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.
The actor, much loved in New Zealand, lived in the South Island’s Central Otago region, where he owned Two Paddocks vineyards and had recently been campaigning against a proposed open cast gold mine slated for the area.
In a tribute, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the actor “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,” he wrote on X.
Opposition Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said like so many New Zealanders, he also grew up watching Neill.
“He was a giant of the screen who took our stories to the world and yet still felt like one of us,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Sam loved New Zealand and advocated for its people and places, well beyond his work on film. He had a strong sense of social justice and regularly advocated for the underdog. Sam made us proud to be Kiwis and we couldn’t have been prouder of him.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote on X that “Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.”
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
Neill is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. His family said “more details will be shared later,” but in the meantime asked for privacy as they “navigate this immeasurable loss.” EFE
(FILE) Sam Neill poses on the red carpet during the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards ceremony in Brisbane, Australia, 07 February 2025. EFE/EPA/JONO SEARLE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT
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