WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) 鈥� Sam Neill, the smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose prolific career moved from as he dodged velociraptors in 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� and played Holly Hunter鈥檚 cruel husband in 鈥淭he Piano,鈥� has died. He was 78.
In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor鈥檚 social media page.
His death was 鈥渟udden and unexpected,鈥� the statement said, adding that he 鈥渞emained cancer free鈥� when he died. A cause of death wasn鈥檛 specified. 鈥淪am was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,鈥� his family wrote.
Tributes were paid by fellow actors and directors, including Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first 鈥淛urassic Park鈥� movie.
鈥淚 adored making all the 鈥楯urassic鈥� movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world,鈥� Spielberg said in a statement.
Actor Sharon Lawrence wrote on Instagram: 鈥淐ondolences and appreciation for the immense joy and mastery Sam Neill brought our industry.”
Actor came to world’s notice with 鈥楧ead Calm鈥� and 鈥楳y Brilliant Career鈥�
Neill was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s, along with Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong. His range was remarkable, playing opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the Alan Ayckbourn comedy 鈥淪weet Revenge鈥� to chopping off Hunter鈥檚 finger in 鈥淭he Piano鈥� to poking his own eyes out in the sci-fi horror 鈥淓vent Horizon.鈥�
He portrayed both saintly and sinner: In 鈥淥men III: The Final Conflict,鈥� he played Damien the Antichrist, and he also played Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 鈥淭he Tudors.鈥�
The actor first came to the attention of international audiences in Armstrong鈥檚 1979 film 鈥淢y Brilliant Career,鈥� which also introduced Judy Davis. He later appeared in Phillip Noyce鈥檚 鈥淒ead Calm,鈥� a classy thriller set at sea and co-starring the then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman.
Neill twice co-starred with Meryl Streep, in Australian director Fred Schepisi鈥檚 鈥淧lenty鈥� and 鈥� again for Schepisi 鈥� in 鈥淎 Cry in the Dark,鈥� a film about the sensationalized aftermath of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback.
He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1998 miniseries 鈥淢erlin鈥� and another as narrator of 2017鈥檚 鈥淲ild New Zealand.鈥� Neill also earned three Golden Globe nods 鈥� for 鈥淢erlin,鈥� 鈥淥ne Against the Wind鈥� and 鈥淩eilly: Ace of Spies.鈥�
Richard E. Grant, a longtime friend who co-starred with Neill in 2019鈥檚 鈥淧alm Beach,鈥� described him in a post on Instagram as 鈥渁n officer and a gentleman in the truest sense.鈥� Grant said Neill had 鈥済uided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life.鈥�
鈥楯urassic Park鈥� was his best-known film
Perhaps Neill achieved his highest level of fame in playing paleontologist Alan Grant, who is summoned to an island off Costa Rica where a theme park has been built to house herds of cloned dinosaurs.
His character was thoughtful and reasonable, a scientist who warned the mastermind of the theme park before the chaos: 鈥淒inosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?鈥�
Grant survived the harrowing events when the creatures get loose, but didn鈥檛 return for 鈥淭he Lost World: Jurassic Park II鈥� in 1997. He came back for the third episode in 2001 and 鈥淛urassic World: Dominion鈥� in 2022.
鈥淚t鈥檚 probably a little late to learn these things,鈥� he told the New York Daily 小萝莉影视 in 2001, 鈥渂ut I finally feel I鈥檝e worked out how to be an action hero. I鈥檓 happier with Grant this time. He鈥檚 gnarly and grizzled, but he looks like he knows what he鈥檚 doing.鈥�
Early life in Northern Ireland and New Zealand
Born in 1947 in Northern Ireland, Neill emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 7. He was born Nigel Neill, but told interviewers he started to go by Sam because there were too many Nigels at his school.
His family settled in Dunedin on the South Island and he was sent to boarding school in Christchurch. After college, he took the lead in 鈥淪leeping Dogs鈥� in 1977, the first feature made in New Zealand in more than a decade.
Neill鈥檚 other film roles included playing a Soviet submarine officer who memorably dreams of a home in Montana in 鈥淭he Hunt for Red October鈥� and an investigator in director John Carpenter鈥檚 鈥淚n the Mouth of Madness.鈥�
On the small screen, Neill played the malign Chester Campbell in TV鈥檚 鈥淧eaky Blinders鈥� and Thomas Jefferson in the four-hour CBS miniseries, 鈥淪ally Hemings: an American Tragedy.鈥� On Apple TV+, he was on 鈥淚nvasion,鈥� playing Oklahoma Sheriff John Bell Tyson, a man late in his career searching for his purpose. In 2024, he starred opposite Annette Bening in the Peacock series
Beloved in New Zealand as an unassuming celebrity
The actor became known in New Zealand as a modest and unassuming person who didn’t embrace celebrity. On social media, he often posted images of his farm animals, many of them affectionately named after celebrities and friends, like Laura Dern the chicken, Kylie Minogue the duck and Helena Bonham Carter the cow.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon mourned Neill as 鈥渙ne of the greats鈥� in a statement posted to social media.
鈥淗e started out when there was barely a film industry to speak of,鈥� Luxon wrote. 鈥淔or 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.鈥�
Neill was also a vintner and under his Two Paddocks brand, he produced pinot noir and riesling wines from his winery in the Central Otago region of New Zealand鈥檚 South Island.
His memoir 鈥淒id I Ever Tell You This?鈥� came out in March 2023 and he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his 鈥渙utstanding contribution to film,鈥� a title approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 pretend that the last year hasn鈥檛 had its dark moments,鈥� Neill told The Guardian in 2023, referring to his cancer diagnosis and treatment. 鈥淏ut those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends.鈥�
He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
___
Kennedy reported from New York.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
