Sam Neill, star of Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, has died aged 78

Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for his leading role in the blockbuster Jurassic Park franchise and Peaky Blinders, has died at the age of 78.

A spokesperson for Neill’s family confirmed he died on Monday, surrounded by his family.

Neill was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, which caused him to take a short break from acting, and he had announced he was cancer-free earlier this year.

A statement from his family on his Instagram said: “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. 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 born Nigel John Dermot Neill in the Northern Ireland town of Omagh in 1947. His family moved to New Zealand when he was seven.

During his time at school, the prevalence of other students named Nigel inspired Neill to assume the first name “Sam”.

He went on to study English literature at the University of Canterbury.