Sam Neill, known for roles in Jurassic Park and The Piano, dead at 78
The New Zealand actor’s death was ‘sudden and unexpected’, his family says
Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in Jurassic Park to playing Holly Hunter’s husband in The Piano, has died. He was 78.
In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page.
His death was “sudden and unexpected,” the statement said, adding that he “remained cancer free” when he died. A cause of death was not specified.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” his family wrote.