Sam Neill, the star of the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park,” died at 78 on Monday, his family announced.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the late actor’s loved ones wrote via Instagram.
“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.”
Neill’s family went on to “express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
They concluded, “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’s death comes just two months after he announced he was cancer-free following his battle with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma – a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“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 told Australia’s 7News in April.
Neill, who was born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland in 1947, was forced to seek an alternative when doctors told him chemotherapy stopped working.
“I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously,” he said.
He then took part in a trial for CAR T-cell therapy – a form of immunotherapy that trains T-cells to destroy cancer cells.
“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing,” he said, reflecting on the success of his trial. “I’m very, very excited that this can happen. It’s time I did another movie.”
Neill previously said he was “not remotely afraid” of dying as he battled cancer.
“I know I’ve got it, but I’m not really interested in it,” he said in 2023.
Neill, who moved to New Zealand in 1954, was best known for playing the paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” a role he would reprise in “Jurassic Park III” in 2001, and “Jurassic World: Dominion” in 2022.
Neill’s first acting credit was for the 1971 TV movie “The City of No,” but his role as Smith in the Roger Donaldson directed 1977 film “Sleeping Dogs” was considered a major moment for his acting career.
“Sleeping Dogs” was the first Kiwi-produced film to be released in theaters across the US.
Neill appeared in the Australian drama “The Sullivans,” where he played Ben Dawson, appearing in 40 episodes between 1979 and 1980.
During the 1980s, he went on to appear in series such as “Reilly: Ace of Spies” and “Amerika,” as well as movies including “Enigma,” and “Dead Calm.”
Neill appeared alongside Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane in the 1989 psychological thriller, directed by Phillip Noyce.
He starred in John Carpenter’s “Memoirs of an Invisible Man,” playing shady CIA operative David Jenkins – a role that earned him a Saturn Award nomination in 1993 from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
Neill also starred in the BAFTA-winning series “Peaky Blinders,” playing Inspector Chester Campbell in 12 episodes between 2013 and 2014.
More recently, Neill appeared in miniseries such as “Apples Never Fall,” “Untamed” and “The Twelve.”
He has acting credits for the upcoming 2027 movie “Godzilla X Kong: Supernova” but his character remains under wraps.
During his career, which spanned more than five decades, he amassed more than 150 acting credits.
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill will be “mourned and long remembered,” writing via X, “Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that gave strength to his every performance,” he continued.
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