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New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for his performances in "Jurassic Park" and "The Piano," died from pneumonia, his long-time agent confirmed on Thursday.
Neill passed away on Monday at the age of 78 in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by his family.
Philip Grenz, who worked for Neill for 19 years, said after speaking to the family: "Sam passed away from pneumonia. Before becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy."
"As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date," Grenz said, according to Radio New Zealand.
Neill's death was "unexpected and sudden," his family said.
The actor had revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
According to his family, he remained cancer-free at the time of his death.
Over a decades-long career, Neill moved between independent films and major Hollywood productions.
He became internationally known for his role as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in "Jurassic Park" and for his performance opposite Holly Hunter in "The Piano."
Neill was among the actors and filmmakers who helped bring Australian and New Zealand cinema to international attention from the late 1970s onward, a group that also included Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong.
"In addition to running his award-winning winery, Two Paddocks, Sam had filmed four projects back-to-back during the past year, all of which will be released within the coming months," Grenz said.
Neill is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. He was knighted in 2022, becoming Sir Sam Neill.
He was born in 1947 in Northern Ireland and moved to New Zealand at age 7, where his family settled in Dunedin, on the South Island. Neill attended a boarding school in Christchurch, the South Island's largest city.
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