Sam Neill, star of ‘Jurassic Park’, dead at 78
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known for his work in massive projects like Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, has passed away at the age of 78.
According to a post on Neill’s social media page, the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor died on Monday, July 13th, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.
The post read, “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday, 13th July, in Sydney, Australia.”
Continuing, “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.”
The post concluded, “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.”
Although Neill started his career in cinema in New Zealand, he eventually moved to Australia in pursuit of bigger opportunities. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s that things really started to take off, especially after appearing in Andrzej Żuławski’s monumental psychological horror Possession.
Neill also had major roles in The Piano, The Tudors, Peaky Blinders, Merlin, Omen III, and Evil Angels over the course of his lengthy career, which spanned more than 50 years. He is also due to appear posthumously in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort, both expected to arrive in 2027.
In 2023, Neill announced that he had been diagnosed with stage three lymphoma, publishing his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? while undergoing treatment for his illness.
Earlier this year, the Jurassic Park star revealed that he had participated in clinical trials in Australia, following which scans showed that there was no cancer in his body.
After beating cancer, Neill had planned to return to the film industry, saying in April, “It’s time I did another movie,” which he duly did.
While his work in the film and television industry went far beyond Jurassic Park, it will always be the one role that he’s most synonymous with.
In his book, Neill opened up about his imposter syndrome after being cast in Jurassic Park, admitting, “I was racked by the usual insecurities,” Neill wrote, questioning why he was cast in such a role as he thought of himself as an “ordinary guy on screen”.
“Why me? I’m certainly not an action hero. The idea of me going hand to hand with Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger is simply absurd,” he continued. “I’m more of the ordinary guy on screen. If indeed I was supposed to be that sort of action guy, I was already, I think, 45 years old, and as always had left things about 10 or 15 years too late.”
As said in his family’s statement, Neill was cancer-free at the time of his death.
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
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