*Sam Neill, the acclaimed actor whose career stretched across more than five decades and included one of cinema’s most iconic blockbuster franchises, has died. He was 78.
Neill’s family announced Monday that he died in Sydney while surrounded by loved ones.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the family said in a statement shared on Instagram.
His family described the loss as sudden and unexpected, adding that Neill remained cancer free at the time of his death. No cause was disclosed.
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Best known to generations of moviegoers as Dr. Alan Grant in the “Jurassic Park” films, Neill built a career that reached far beyond the dinosaur franchise. His more than 150 screen credits included standout performances in “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Piano,” “Event Horizon,” “Merlin,” “Peaky Blinders” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”
Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he moved to New Zealand as a child and later adopted the name Sam while in school, according to NBC News. After establishing himself in New Zealand cinema, his performance in the television miniseries “Reilly, Ace of Spades” helped launch his international career.
Neill earned two Emmy nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and several national honors, including an OBE in 1991 and a New Zealand knighthood in 2022.
Following his return in “Jurassic World: Dominion” in 2022, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He later shared his cancer journey in his memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” Earlier this year, he announced he was cancer free.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called Neill “one of the greats,” writing on X, “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.”
According to The Associated Press, Neill is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.
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