Published Jul 13, 2026, 2:42 AM EDT
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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.New Zealand actor Sam Neill has suddenly died at the age of 78.
On July 13, 2026, Neill’s social media account shared the heartbreaking news of his passing. The statement confirmed that “the loss was sudden and unexpected,” but the actor was “surrounded by family and passed with dignity that has characterised his whole life.” The full statement reads as follows:
It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. 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.
Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947, the New Zealand star was born as Nigel John Dermot Neill. He launched his acting career with the stage name “Sam” in the early 1970s and found his breakthrough performance as Smith in 1977’s Sleeping Dogs. Then, he ventured into the Australian film industry as the romantic lead in My Brilliant Career, opposite Judy Davis.
Neill soon earned international attention in the third installment of* The Omen*, The Final Conflict, portraying the Antichrist Damien Thorn. Despite negative reviews, he was deemed the standout performer. He continued his venture into the horror genre with Andrzej Żuławski’s psychological film *Possession, *with Isabelle Adjani.
Neill’s career continued to boom throughout the 1980s and 1990s. One of his most acclaimed roles was the real-life spy Sidney Reilly, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination. He also starred in major projects like The Hunt for Red October, Death or Brunswick, The Jungle Book, Event Horizon, and *Dead Calm. *At one point, Neill auditioned for the role of James Bond but lost out to Timothy Dalton.
While Neill has featured in a variety of projects, his most iconic role was paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 adventure movie Jurassic Park. The scene of his leading protagonist taking off his glasses has become an internet meme, which surprised Neill. The actor reprised the role in 2001’s* Jurassic Park III* before portraying him for the last time in the 2022 movie Jurassic World Dominion.
Neil also starred in the critically acclaimed drama, The Piano, which earned eight Academy Award nominations and won two, both in acting categories for Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The actor was also busy in the 21st century in both television and film, including* *Hunt for the Wilderpeople and *Escape Plan. *Some of those famous roles include an Odin stage actor in Thor: Ragnarok, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors, and Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders.
Neill was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer, stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, and he started chemotherapy in March 2022. However, the actor didn’t reveal this detail until the following year when he published his memoir, *Did I Ever Tell You This? *While he confirmed he was in remission at the time, he needed monthly chemo treatment for the rest of his life.
Some of his final television series were The Twelve, Apples Never Fall, and Netflix’s Untamed. Neill will also appear in another major blockbuster, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, which completed filming before his death. The film will be released posthumously on March 27, 2027, alongside the romantic comedy The Last Resort, which does not have an exact release date.
Throughout his life, Neill was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Emmy Awards. He also earned a Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor in 2023. Besides his acting career, Neill earned the title as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.
Neill is survived by his children — Andrew, Tim, Maiko, and Elena — and eight grandchildren.