Sam Neill attends the "Blackbird" premiere during the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 06, 2019 in Toronto, Canada [Emma McIntyre/Getty]By The Associated PressPublished On 13 Jul 202613 Jul 2026New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for the films “Jurassic Park” and “The Piano”, has died aged 78, his family said.
His death in Sydney was “sudden and unexpected”, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page on Monday.
In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
His family’s statement said he “remained cancer free” when he died and did not specify a cause of death.
Neill was a smooth, elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster, as he dodged velociraptors in “Jurassic Park” to playing Holly Hunter’s husband in “The Piano”.
He 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, a list that includes Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong.
