New Zealand actor Sam Neill died suddenly at age 78 on Monday after he recovered from cancer, his family announced.
Neill was surrounded by family when he passed away.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia,” his family said in a statement shared on Neill’s Instagram page.
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“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” his family added.
Neill “passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” his family said.
The “Jurassic Park” star announced in April that he was cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage 3 blood cancer.
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“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body. That’s an extraordinary thing,” Neill said at the time. “I’m very, very excited that this can happen.”
The family said more details would be shared later but asked that fans respect their privacy as they “navigate this immeasurable loss.”
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Born Nigel John Dermot Neill on Sept. 14, 1947, in Omagh, Northern Ireland, the actor relocated to Christchurch, New Zealand, with his family when he was a child. He studied English literature at the University of Canterbury before pursuing acting.
His breakthrough role came in 1977 with the New Zealand thriller “Sleeping Dogs,” one of the country’s first internationally recognized feature films. That success paved the way for roles in “My Brilliant Career,” “Omen III: The Final Conflict” and the psychological horror movie “Possession,” establishing Neill as a rising international talent.
It wasn’t until the 1980s and early 1990s that Neill became one of Hollywood’s leading men.
His portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park” made him a household name worldwide.
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Neill later reprised the beloved role in “Jurassic Park III” and reunited with the original cast for 2022’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” introducing the character to a new generation of fans.
Neill continued to seek out diverse roles throughout his career, including roles in “Event Horizon,” “In the Mouth of Madness,” “The Horse Whisperer” and “The Dish,” as well as television roles in “Merlin,” “The Tudors,” “Peaky Blinders” and “The Twelve.”
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In 2023, Neill told fans he was “alive and well” and in remission after he revealed in an interview with the BBC that he had been undergoing cancer treatment since being diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022.
“My news seems to be all over the news at the moment, and it’s sort of ‘Cancer! Cancer! Cancer!’ Which is slightly tiresome because, as you see, I am alive and well. And I have been in remission for eight months, which feels really good,” the “Jurassic Park” star said in a lengthy video posted to his Instagram at the time.
“And I’m alive and kicking, and I’m going to work,” the actor, who wore a white T-shirt and a full beard, added. In his BBC interview, the then 75-year-old revealed he lost his hair during his treatment and wanted his beard back “more than anything.”
In his BBC interview, Neill described the cancer as “ferocious” and said when he was diagnosed, he thought he might be “dying.”
Though one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, Neill kept much of his personal life private.
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In 1989, he married Japanese makeup artist Noriko Watanabe. Together, they welcomed a daughter, Elena. Neill also helped raise Watanabe’s daughter, Maiko, from a previous relationship. The couple later separated in 2017.
Neill also shared a son, Tim, with actress Lisa Harrow, whom he met while filming “Omen III.”
In his 2023 memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?,” Neill revealed he fathered a son, Andrew, in his early 20s who was placed for adoption. The two reunited decades later and built a relationship.
Neill was also the grandfather of eight grandchildren.
Most recently, Neill fully embraced the quiet moments away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood — moments that were spent at Two Paddocks, his boutique vineyard in New Zealand’s Central Otago wine region.
In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Neil said he wasn’t afraid of dying but would like another couple of decades of life if he could.
“We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature,” he said. “And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
