Sam Neill, Star of Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, Dies Aged 78

Actor Sam Neill, best known for his roles in Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, has died at the age of 78.

Neill was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, in March 2022. After the diagnosis left him unable to work, he turned to writing, the project gave him a reason to get through each day.

Reflecting on his illness, Neill said it had prompted him to “take stock of things” and reconsider what mattered most in life.

In 2022, he accepted a knighthood from New Zealand after previously declining the honour when titular honours were reintroduced in 2009. Speaking to ABC in 2023, Neill explained that he had changed his mind after believing he might not survive his illness.

“I said I didn’t want the title for 10 or 12 years,” he said. “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.’”

Following the investiture ceremony, Neill said he was “greatly honoured” and thanked then-Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro for the recognition.

Tributes have poured in from leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill “starred in so many beloved Australian stories” and had earned “a special place in Australian hearts.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Neill as “one of the greats,” praising his role in helping establish New Zealand’s film industry on the world stage.

“He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of,” Luxon said. “For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports.”

Born in Northern Ireland, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and later lived on a farm and winery in the Central Otago region.

During his cancer treatment, Neill wrote his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, which chronicled his life, career and diagnosis. He insisted it was not “a cancer book,” saying, “The last thing I want is for people to obsess about the cancer thing. I’m not really interested in cancer. I’m not really interested in anything other than living.”

In April this year, Neill announced that he was cancer-free.