Well, this broke my heart this morning. Sam Neill has passed away at the age of 78. While he had battled blood cancer for five years, he announced this past April that he was cancer-free after a clinical trial in Australia. Heartbreaking. In their statement, his family said that his passing was quite sudden too.
Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. Neill was best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park as Alan Grant, the film’s hero. He also had starring roles in The Hunt For Red October and The Piano and appeared in TV shows like The Tudors and Peaky Blinders.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Monday, July 13, the actor’s family said that his death was “sudden and unexpected.”
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [extended family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement began.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the statement continued. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They 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.”
Neill was born Nigel Neill in Northern Ireland in 1947. His family moved to New Zealand, where his father was from, when he was 7 years old. “I’ve often thought that was the genesis of me becoming an actor,” he told The Irish Times in 2022 about adapting to a new country. “I think I had to learn how to act and sound like a New Zealander to avoid getting bullied at school.”
I genuinely had no idea he was born in Northern Ireland – I thought he was a lifelong New Zealander. Everything I’ve ever heard about him is that he was a lovely guy, beloved by colleagues and friends. Some of my favorite Sam Neill performances: The Piano, Jurassic Park and The Hunt for Red October, but he was around, doing interesting work for decades. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
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- Sam Neill during ‘Sweet Country’ photocall, 74th Venice Film Festival, Venice, 06/09/2017,Image: 508104192, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF Foto/Avalon
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- 44th Toronto International Film Festival – Blackbird – Premiere Featuring: Sam Neill Where: Toronto, Canada When: 07 Sep 2019 Credit: <> **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SPAIN & USA**,Image: 537078163, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: USA and SPAIN DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no , Credit line: Snapper/Avalon
Well that sucks. He’s one of my favorite actors. If you’ve never seen Children of the Revolution, go see it.
No! He’s the third of the law of three, which means that Trump is safe! Nooooo!
Lifelong crush since Dead Calm.
Rest in peace ❤️
Aw, this is a shame. He was wonderful in Dead Calm which is one of the most quietly chilling movies of all time.
Loved him when I first saw Jurassic Park. Also enjoyed the stories he shared about his farm. This makes me sad and sending all the thoughts and love to his family.
If I remember correctly, he became a star from the miniseries “Reilly, Ace of Spies” about the Russian-born spy adventurer who inspired James Bond.
And the lead in John Carpenter’s Lovecraftian horror “In the Mouth of Madness” as well as other horror films. Madness was a movie that broke my heart for his character.
And Norman Lindsay in “Sirens” with Hugh Grant.
He’s entered my life in such a variety of roles.
This is so very sad. Take a look at his Instagram and see what a truly wonderful man he was. And the skits he wrote and performed during lockdown are comedy genius. He also had a decades long friendship with Bryan Brown; they were so funny together and loved each other. What a loss.
Incredibly sad news, made me tear up.
My first celebrity crush. 💔
Hunt of the Wilderpeople is wonderful. He was such a lovely man. This made me genuinely sad this morning.
Loved him and loved that film
He was a great actor and always seemed like a fun person.
One of my friends had the pleasure of meeting him as she works in the wine industry. She said he was a lovely down-to-earth person and spoke more about his animals than his vineyard.
Cancer treatment is so tough that even when you are in remission or cancer free, it takes a heavy toil that puts a strain on other parts of the body. Heartbreaking for his family.
He was one of those incredible actors that seemed familiar and almost like a friend. I think I’ll watch Hunt for Red October today. I hope that he achieved all that he wanted, and that he “got to see Montana.”
Lifelong crush since Dead Calm.
Rest in peace ❤️
It’s sad when a beloved artist dies, but isn’t it nice when the public can share nice memories of encounters with the person?
Sounds like he was a lovely man.
Oh look, someone who will be remembered with great love for all the happiness he brought to the world. Imagine that.
In all seriousness I never heard even a negative whisper about him. One of the good ones. I still remember his post when his twin granddaughters were born. Pure charm. He will be deeply missed.
This also broke my heart. He was wonderful and so versatile. But am I crazy…I could absolutely swear that he passed away years ago. . I must have him confused with another actor, of course but..so strange.
I was so sad to see this – one of my favorite actors.