New Zealand Actor Sam Neill, known for his work in the Jurassic Park franchise and Peaky Blinders, among others, died today, July 13, at the age of 78.

Sam Neill

On July 13th, a post made to Neill’s Instagram account announced his sudden passing. It 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. 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.

Neill had just become cancer-free after a fight with blood cancer, which he announced in April. He told 7News at the time that he had been living with it for about five years.

While one of the roles he is best known for is that of Dr. Alan Grant from the Jurassic Park franchise, Neill had over 150 on-screen roles during his career. He also had notable roles in films such as Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Though his role as Grant was one he returned to several times.

He mused about the role with Forbes back in 2022: “I always think Alan Grant is like an old comfortable pair of boots. They’ve seen better days, but they’re really comfortable, and there’s no way you’ll get rid of those.”

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