Sam Neill, star of Jurassic Park and The Piano, dies at 78

New Zealand actor Sam Neill died on Monday 13 July in Sydney at age 78, his family announced via his Instagram account. No cause was given, and the family called the loss sudden and unexpected, noting that Neill had remained cancer-free after treatment for stage-three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma diagnosed in 2022. He was surrounded by family at St Vincent’s Private hospital.

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Northern Ireland in 1947 and raised in New Zealand from age seven, Neill turned to acting after failing a year of law studies. His breakout came in 1977’s Sleeping Dogs, and he reached wide international recognition in 1993 with Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning The Piano and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, in which he played Dr Alan Grant — a role first offered to Harrison Ford. Across five decades he amassed more than 150 credits, from Dead Calm and Event Horizon to Hunt for the Wilderpeople and TV work including Peaky Blinders; he also screen-tested to succeed Roger Moore as James Bond in 1986.

Off screen, Neill ran the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago and named his farm animals after acting colleagues. He was appointed OBE in 1991 and accepted a knighthood in 2022. Reflecting on his 2022 cancer diagnosis, he told the Guardian in 2023 he was not afraid to die but wanted more time to see his grandchildren grow and his vineyard mature. He is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.