Actor Sam Neill, who starred in the films My Brilliant Career and Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 78.
A message posted to his social media account on Monday afternoon said he died in Sydney “surrounded by his family”.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected, but is blessed by the fact that Sam remains cancer-free,” he said in a statement posted on Instagram.
Sam Neill has died. (ABC News: Greg Nelson)
Neil first rose to fame in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs and went on to star in My Brilliant Career, Jurassic Park, The Piano, The Dish, Possession and other films.
In 2023, Neil revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in early 2022. Later that year he went into remission and required ongoing treatment.
In April, he announced that he was cancer-free.
The actor was also knighted in 2022, becoming Sir Sam Neill.
Sam Neill revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2023, about a year after he went into remission. (Australian History: Erin Semmler)
“I said I don’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 my gosh, I might as well come out with the title,’ so I changed my mind.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today said Neil had “earned a special place in the hearts of Australians”.
“Sly and dry, thoughtful and taciturn, Sam fought his illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that brought power to his every performance,” he said in a statement published on the X website.
“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
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