Actor Sam Neill Dies at 78 in Sydney

Actor Sam Neill died Monday in Sydney at the age of 78, his family said in a statement posted to his social media account. The statement described the death as sudden and unexpected, unrelated to cancer, and said Neill remained cancer-free. He was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that had characterized his life.

Neill was born Nigel John Dermot Neill on September 14, 1947, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His family moved to New Zealand when he was seven. He attended the University of Canterbury and made his first screen appearance in the 1971 television film The City of No.

He gained international recognition as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park in 1993 and reprised the role in Jurassic Park III in 2001 and Jurassic World Dominion in 2022. Other notable performances included The Piano in 1993.

His memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? was published in March 2023. Neill was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2022 and underwent CAR-T cell therapy. He announced he was cancer-free in April 2026.

He completed filming on Godzilla v Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort, both still in post-production. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill starred in many beloved Australian stories and earned a special place in Australian hearts. Neill received an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 and a knighthood as Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to film.

Staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney's Darlinghurst suburb received thanks for their care.