(CNN) — Legendary New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who starred in ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Peaky Blinders,’ died Monday in Sydney, Australia at age 78, his family said.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing,” said the statement posted to the actor’s Instagram page, using the Māori word for extended family or community.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” said the statement.
Neill had battled a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer but revealed in April he was cancer free.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” said the statement. “The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
“More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
The acclaimed actor starred in dozens of films and television series over his genre-spanning, five decade career, including the Oscar-winning film “The Piano,” but is most widely known for playing the iconic Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park.”
“It’s been a very happy, surprising life,” Neill told CNN in 2023, on the 30th anniversary of the movie’s release.
“I never expected to have a career in film at all, or even as an actor. But it kind of happened, and no one’s more surprised than me.”
Laura Dern, who starred alongside Neill in “Jurassic Park,” called the actor a “beloved lifetime friend” as well as “a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man” in a statement Monday. “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant,” Dern said.
Fellow New Zealand actor Karl Urban said Neill was “an inspiration for many who followed in his trailblazing footsteps. A beautiful man, A national treasure who gave so much to New Zealand and to the world.”
‘Not afraid of it’
Neill was born in Northern Ireland and immigrated to New Zealand’s South Island at age 7. He was awarded many accolades throughout his career, including the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 and a knighthood from New Zealand in 2022.
When he was presented the Screen Legend Award at the 2025 New Zealand Screen Awards he accepted the honor with his characteristic self-deprecating charm:
“If you stick around long enough, you probably, you know, qualify, and I’ve been just sort of sticking around.”
Neill had a rich life outside of Hollywood, largely spent on his sprawling New Zealand farm. He famously named his farm animals after Hollywood icons, many of them becoming unwitting icons on Neill’s social media pages.
“I love to name as many of my animals as possible after my friends,” he told Vulture in 2019. “It doesn’t always end well. Meryl Streep was killed by a ferret recently. I found her as a pile of feathers one day.”
He was a passionate environmental activist, and in early 2026 released a short documentary opposing a proposed fast-track, industrial goldmine in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.
It was in his beloved rolling Otago hills where he started his own organic winery, Two Paddocks, back in 1993, with a mission to produce a good pinot noir that his friends and family would enjoy.
“Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn’t seem too hard,” Neill said, according to the Two Paddocks website.
In 2023, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy.
He wrote his memoir ‘Did I Ever Tell You This?’ in a few months while receiving treatment in 2022.
In a 2024 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, he said he was not afraid of dying but it would be “very irritating.”
“I’m not in any way frightened of dying,” Neill said. “I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying, but I’m not afraid of it.”
Neill jokingly described his family life as “somewhat haphazard” because of his international acting career.
He had four children: Tim, his son with ex-wife Lisa Harrow; Elena, his daughter with ex-wife Noriko Watanabe; Maiko, Watanabe’s daughter from her first marriage who Neill adopted; and Andrew, who was adopted by other parents but with whom he later reunited; as well as several grandchildren.
CNN’s Hilary Whiteman and Todd Symons contributed reporting.
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