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Actor Sam Neill died of pneumonia and will be honored at a private family memorial at his New Zealand farm later, his agent told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Neill's family had previously announced the famous actor Jurassic Park, The piano and other films died on Monday in Sydney, aged 78.
His agent Philip Grenz said he was providing more information after speaking with Neill's family and following news reports that “contain inaccuracies and outright lies,” he said.
“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” Grenz said. “Before he got sick, Sam fought bravely and beat lymphoma with a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
He added that Neill recorded four “back-to-back” projects last year that should be released in the coming months.
“As Sam was a private man who did not like to talk, his family will honor him with a family memorial on his farm in New Zealand at a date yet to be determined,” said Grenz.
The New Zealand actor revealed in 2023 that he was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and said in April of this year that he was cancer-free. CAR-T therapy is a type of immunotherapy based on human T cells and is used for several types of blood cancer.
The statement from his agent follows days of Neill's tributes to his colleagues in the film industry who remember him as a kind, intelligent and curious man.
“He is loved and will be greatly missed by all of us,” said director Taika Waititi, who directed Neill in 2016. Hunt for the Wilderpeoplehe wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
Sam Neill, the actor best known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant of the Jurassic Park franchise, died on July 13 in Sydney. The cause of death of this 78-year-old man from New Zealand is still unknown. Neill was best known for small art films before jumping into Hollywood blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, where he worked with director Steven Spielberg, who he described as 'underrated as an actor's director.'
“I love you and we'll see you soon, sweet Nigel,” Waititi wrote, referring to Neill's birth name, and told interviewers that he had changed to Sam at school because there were too many Nigels in his class.
“Sam was very cooperative,” said Steven Spielberg, who hosted the original Jurassic Park movie, in which Neill plays paleontologist Alan Grant, alongside Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.
“We will always have our own The Jurassic The family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his millions of fans around the world,” Spielberg said in a statement.
Neill was one of many actors and directors who achieved international fame after the explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s. In addition to industry honors in Australia and New Zealand, Neill has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for his work.
Neill has also worked on several productions in Canada during his career, most recently the 2024 British Columbia series for Netflix. Unfocused starring Eric Bana.
In New Zealand, he is described as a friendly, unassuming person who shunned celebrity and contributed to community projects and programs close to his home, according to local media.
Neill was also a vintner and under his Two Paddocks brand, he produced pinot noir and riesling wines at his winery in Central Otago in the South Island region of New Zealand.
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
