Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders star Sam Neill dies aged 78

'One of the greats'

The news of the actor's death was confirmed on Monday by his family in a statement posted to social media.

The family described his death as "sudden and unexpected".

Sam Neill. Image: Getty.

No official cause of death was given.

Neill was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, although his family said he had been cancer free.

The family statement read: "It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.

"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.
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."

Sam Neill as palaeontologist Alan Grant. Image: Getty.

Neill starred in more than 50 films across his career including a number of blockbuster hits, most notably the Jurassic Park franchise in which he played palaeontologist Alan Grant.

He also played Chief Inspector Chester Campbell in the popular TV show Peaky Blinders.

Sam Neill as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell. Image: BBC.

He was born in Omagh in Northern Ireland in 1947 before moving to New Zealand as a young child.

He is set to appear posthumously in the movies Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort, both expected to be released in 2027.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Neill as "one of the greats".

In a post on X, he said: "He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of.

"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.

"His work will be watched and loved long after all of us."