Sam Neill, Jurassic Park actor, dies aged 78
Beloved New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died. He was 78.
His family confirmed the news in a statement on Instagram on Monday.
Actor Sam Neill has died. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” it read.
“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.”
Anthony Albanese was one of the first to pay tribute to the actor, writing on 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, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2022, after experiencing swollen glands while doing publicity for Jurassic World: Dominion.
He only revealed he had been privately battling the disease a year later when he released his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?
Laura Dern and Sam Neill in Jurassic Park, 1993. Universal Pictures
At the time, he said he was treated with chemotherapy, which eventually started to fail, and had been moved on to a new drug that he said at the time he would remain on for the rest of his life.
The actor revealed he was living cancer-free in April 2026 after undergoing the groundbreaking new treatment.
He revealed during an interview with 7News he had been having chemotherapy for about five years to keep him alive before it “stopped working”, before he was offered a lifeline in the form of CAR T-cell therapy.
“I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously,” he said.
“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing. I’m very, very excited that this can happen.”
According to the Leukaemia Foundation, CAR T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that sees CAR T-cells collected from a patient before being sent to a lab where genetic information is added to them that are tailored to recognise cancer.
They are then multiplied and infused back into the body where they recognise, attack and kill cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy is currently only approved in Australia for four types of blood cancers following a relapse.
Neill said at the time that he was working to help raise awareness of the treatment that gave him more time, in the hope more Australians would have access to it in future.
Neill, whose first name is Nigel, was born in Northern Ireland on September 14, 1947. His family moved to New Zealand when he was eight.
After attending university, he took up acting and appeared in his first film in 1971.
Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2022. Supplied
His big break came in the 1979 Aussie film My Brilliant Career before he played Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels, about the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain.
But it was a turn playing the husband of then little-known Aussie actress Nicole Kidman in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm that opened Hollywood’s doors and led to the role of Dr Alan Grant in the 1983 movie Jurassic Park.
He reprised the role in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion.
Neill met his first wife, fellow New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, on the set of 1981 film Omen III. They married in 1981, welcomed a son Tim in 1983, and were together for 11 years before divorcing in 1989.
He wed a second time in 1993, this time to Japanese film make-up artist Noriko Watanabe. Together they had a daughter Elena in 1991 and also adopted a daughter Maiko. Neill and Watanabe were married for nearly 30 years until their split in 2017.
Neill was nominated for a Silver Logie just weeks before his passing. Getty
Neill was next romantically linked to ABC political journalist Laura Tingle. The couple were deeply private. What was known about their relationship came from Neill’s memoir, Have I Told You This? The couple split in 2021 with Neill confirming in the memoir, “I am a solitary single man now.”
He was also father to Andrew, who was placed for adoption when Neill was in his early twenties but reunited with his father in 1994.
He was most recently nominated for a Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer.
