New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who passed away on Monday at a Sydney hospital, died from pneumonia, his agent has confirmed.
Best known for his roles in Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders, the 78-year-old’s family described his death earlier this week as “sudden and unexpected”.
Neill’s long-time agent Philip Grenz released a statement on Thursday about the cause of death after speaking to the actor’s family and due to what he said were “inaccurate and outright falsehoods” in the media.
In April this year, Neill announced he was in remission after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of blood cancer – years earlier. His family said he had “remained cancer free” when he died.
“As Sam Neill’s longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans,” Grenz said.
“Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
Grenz said that during the past year, Neill had “filmed four projects back-to-back… all of which will be released within the coming months”.
Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in New Zealand, was “an intensely private man who loathed a fuss”, Grenz said.
He added that Neill’s family “will honour him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date.”
“I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time,” Grenz said.
News of Neill’s death saw tributes flow from fellow actors, politicians and fans, with his Jurassic Park co-star Laura Dern describing him as “my beloved lifetime friend”.
Australian actor Toni Collette called him a “hero”, “legend” and “sweetheart” while New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “one of the greats”.
Neill played Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and also appeared in films including The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, Dead Calm and Event Horizon, as well as BBC TV drama Peaky Blinders.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Neill amassed more than 150 screen credits.
His last film appearance came in The Fox (2025) and his last TV appearance came in Netflix series Untamed (2025). He is expected to make posthumous appearances in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort in 2027.
In his 2023 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, he revealed details of his cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“I’m not afraid of dying,” he told the BBC at the time. “What I don’t want to do is to stop living, because I really enjoy living.”
He added: “I’ve regarded it as an adventure, quite a dark adventure, but an adventure nevertheless.”
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
