Remembering Sam Neill | ABC NEWS
Actor Sam Neill, who starred in My Brilliant Career and Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.
A post made to his social media account on Monday afternoon said he had died in Sydney “surrounded by his family”.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free,” the statement, posted to Instagram, said.
Neill first rose to fame in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, before going on to star in My Brilliant Career, Jurassic Park, The Piano, The Dish and Possession, among other films.
In 2023, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer in early 2022. He entered remission later that year and needed ongoing treatment.
He announced in April he was cancer-free. The actor was also knighted in 2022, becoming Sir Sam Neill.
“I said I didn’t want the title for 10 or 12 years,” he said in 2023.
“Then when I thought I was dying a couple of years ago I thought, ‘Oh bugger it, I may as well go out with the title’, so I changed my mind.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said Neill “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 said in a statement posted to X.
“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
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