Well, this broke my heart this morning. Sam Neill has passed away at the age of 78. While he had battled blood cancer for five years, he announced this past April that he was cancer-free after a clinical trial in Australia. Heartbreaking. In their statement, his family said that his passing was quite sudden too.
Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. Neill was best known for his role in 1993’s Jurassic Park as Alan Grant, the film’s hero. He also had starring roles in The Hunt For Red October and The Piano and appeared in TV shows like The Tudors and Peaky Blinders.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Monday, July 13, the actor’s family said that his death was “sudden and unexpected.”
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [extended family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement began.
“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. 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.”
Neill was born Nigel Neill in Northern Ireland in 1947. His family moved to New Zealand, where his father was from, when he was 7 years old. “I’ve often thought that was the genesis of me becoming an actor,” he told The Irish Times in 2022 about adapting to a new country. “I think I had to learn how to act and sound like a New Zealander to avoid getting bullied at school.”
I genuinely had no idea he was born in Northern Ireland – I thought he was a lifelong New Zealander. Everything I’ve ever heard about him is that he was a lovely guy, beloved by colleagues and friends. Some of my favorite Sam Neill performances: The Piano, Jurassic Park and The Hunt for Red October, but he was around, doing interesting work for decades. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
