Sam Neil dies aged 78 following cancer battle

Beloved New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died. He was 78. His family confirmed the news in a statement on Instagram on Monday, July 13. Actor Sam Neill has died. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” it read. “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 was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2022, after experiencing swollen glands while doing publicity for Jurassic World: Dominion. He only revealed he had been privately battling the disease a year later when he released his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This? At the time, he said he was treated with chemotherapy, which eventually started to fail, and had been moved on to a new drug that he said at the time he would remain on for the rest of his life. Neill, whose first name is Nigel, was born in Northern Ireland on September 14, 1947. His family moved to New Zealand when he was eight. Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 2022. nna\BGossling After attending university, he took up acting and appeared in his first film in 1971. His big break came in the 1979 Aussie film My Brilliant Career before he played Michael Chamberlain in Evil Angels, about the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain. But it was a turn playing the husband of then little-known Aussie actress Nicole Kidman in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm that opened Hollywood’s doors and led to the role of Dr Alan Grant in the 1983 movie Jurassic Park.