Actor Sam Neill, best known for his iconic role in “Jurassic Park,” died Monday in Sydney from pneumonia, his agent confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday. The announcement came after his family had already shared news of his passing earlier in the week.
Agent Philip Grenz said he came forward with additional details after speaking with Neill’s family, citing news reports that he said contained “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods.”
“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” Grenz said. “Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
Grenz also noted that Neill had completed four film projects “back-to-back” over the past year, all of which are expected to be released in the coming months.
“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.
Neill had publicly revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This past April, he announced he was cancer-free. CAR-T therapy, the treatment credited with his recovery, is a type of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s own T cells and is applied to several forms of blood cancer.
The days following his death brought an outpouring of tributes from colleagues in the film industry, who remembered Neill as a warm, witty, and intellectually curious individual.
Director Taika Waititi, who worked with Neill on the 2016 film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” — one of Neill’s most cherished roles in New Zealand — shared a heartfelt message on Instagram on Wednesday. “You are so loved and will be sorely missed by us all,” Waititi wrote.
Waititi also wrote, “Love you and see you soon, sweet Nigel” — a reference to Neill’s birth name. Neill had told interviewers he changed his name to Sam during his school years because there were too many other students named Nigel in his class.
Director Steven Spielberg, who cast Neill as paleontologist Alan Grant in the original “Jurassic Park,” also paid tribute to the actor. “Sam was exceptionally collaborative,” Spielberg said in a statement. “I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Neill was among a wave of actors and directors who rose to international prominence during the surge of Australian filmmaking that began in the late 1970s. In New Zealand, he was remembered as a grounded, approachable figure who avoided the spotlight and contributed to local causes and community efforts near his home, according to local news outlets.
Beyond acting, Neill was also a winemaker. Under his Two Paddocks label, he produced pinot noir and riesling wines from a winery located in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island.
He is survived by four children and eight grandchildren.
