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New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known worldwide for "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," has died at the age of 78 in Sydney, his family announced Monday, describing his death as "unexpected and sudden."
The family shared the news in a statement posted on the actor's social media accounts. No cause of death was disclosed.
Neill revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which helps the body fight infection.
According to his family, Neill "remained cancer-free" at the time of his death, a detail included in the statement as they set out the circumstances around his passing.
Over a decades-long career, Neill built up a reputation for versatility, moving between arthouse cinema and major Hollywood productions without being tied down to a single screen identity.
He became internationally recognized for playing Dr. Alan Grant in "Jurassic Park," while his performance as the husband of Holly Hunter's character in "The Piano" also stood out as one of his celebrated roles.
Neill was also part of a generation of actors and filmmakers who helped bring Australian and New Zealand cinema to wider international attention from the late 1970s onward.
That group included figures such as Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong, whose work helped push the region's film industry onto the global stage.
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