In terribly sad news, New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill KNZM OBE has died aged 78. The news was shared by the beloved actor’s social media page.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement reads. “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.”
Speaking with The Weekly about getting older in 2021, Sam shared: “I am very conscious of living in the moment and making the best of the day. Somebody gave me some really good advice a few years ago: Don’t let the old man in.” Despite having been diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (a rare type of blood cancer) in 2022, Sam continued working during his treatment, both on television and film sets and at his beloved New Zealand vineyard, Two Paddocks. While he announced he was in remission in early 2023, he stated he required regular treatment for the rest of his life.
Sam announced he was cancer-free earlier this year while supporting the treatment that saved his life, which he referred to as ” science at its best.”
“I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years, and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business, but it was keeping me alive,” he said at the time. “Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss, and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal, obviously.”
“I’ve just had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body; that’s an extraordinary thing,” Sam shared with 7NEWS.
A global talent, his six-decade career has spanned Hollywood blockbusters to acclaimed television dramas and documentaries.
Born in Northern Ireland on September 14, 1947, Sam later moved back to his father’s native New Zealand with his family. His career was almost accidental: After graduating from university with an English degree and having dabbled in acting, Sam joined the New Zealand National Film Unit, making documentaries.
He made his screen debut in the 1977 action thriller Sleeping Dogs. And when the film was shown at the Sydney Film Festival, producer Margaret Fink and director Gillian Armstrong, who had long been searching for a romantic lead for their 1979 movie My Brilliant Career, quickly cast Sam in the role. The film boosted his career in Australia and overseas.
International success followed, with Sam starring in big-budget films including The Hunt for Red October (1990) with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, 1991’s Bicentennial Man with Robin Williams, and 1998’s The Horse Whisperer opposite Robert Redford. However, he was never comfortable with the Hollywood spotlight and often returned to Australia and New Zealand to star in classic films including The Piano (1993), The Dish (2000) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016).
Sam’s most famous role was as palaeontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster film Jurassic Park.
“It’s funny how many people stop me and say, ‘You are so part of my childhood, and that film is my generation’,” he wrote in his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? in 2023. From that first outing, he reprised his role in a further two films in the Jurassic franchise.
He had a 10-year relationship with New Zealand actor Lisa Harrow, with their son Tim born in 1983. While starring alongside Nicole Kidman in 1987’s Dead Calm, he met make-up artist Noriko Watanabe, the pair later marrying. Sam adopted her daughter, Maiko, and they also had a daughter of their own, Elena. Sam and Noriko’s marriage ended in 2015.
In 1994, Sam also met another son he fathered in his early twenties, who had been adopted and also became a part of his family.
A Logie and AFI winner, Sam received the Screen Legend Award at the 2025 New Zealand Screen Awards. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 for his work as an actor and made a Knight Companion of the Order of New Zealand in 2022.
Sam is survived by his children and grandchildren.
