He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
In April, Neill announced he was cancer-free after being diagnosed with a rare form of stage-three blood cancer. He revealed his diagnosis in 2023.
Neill said he underwent CAR T-cell therapy, a treatment that genetically modifies blood cells.
The actor lived in Central Otago and owned the Two Paddocks vineyards.
Neill was best known worldwide as the iconic paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster Jurassic Park, which premiered in 1993. The same year he starred as Alisdair Stewart in the Academy Award-winning film The Piano.
Neill’s breakthrough role came in the Kiwi classic Sleeping Dogs, a dramatic action-thriller that ultimately launched his cinematic career in 1977.
Neil began acting while studying at Canterbury University, where he gained a BA in English. In 1991 he was awarded an OBE for services to acting.
He earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the hit British miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983.
Sam Neill, Ariana Richards, and Joseph Mazzello in Jurassic Park (1993).
In recent years, Neill starred in legal drama The Twelve, alongside Kiwi actress Danielle Cormack. Speaking to the Herald, Cormack said getting a chance to work with Neill was a key decider in taking the role.
She called their on-screen and off-screen pairing “a perfect fit”.
“I was literally working alongside him, having to sit at a desk for days and days on end next to him – he brings such a great energy to the set.”
Cormack says she found joy in building a rapport with Neill, battling it out over crosswords, and developing a dynamic similar to their characters, Colby and Nicholls, who have a strong camaraderie yet with a competitive edge.
“That was sort of naturally taken on board by osmosis and our work relationship. And it was just marvellous to watch him work. He’s incredibly generous.”
Neill had told Australian outlet 7News this year he was cancer-free after half a decade of unsuccessful treatment.
“I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me alive,” Neill said.
“Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.”
Sad news to hear that Sam Neill has passed away today.
He was a Kiwi icon through his work in both local and Hollywood films that entertained people around the world over decades.
Thoughts and prayers are with family and friends at this sad time.
— Winston Peters (@winstonpeters) July 13, 2026
Neill was also known and loved for his role as Uncle Hec in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which first premiered in 2016.
In 2026, the year the film celebrated its 10-year anniversary, and Neill told RNZ: “You had no idea what was going to happen there [at Sundance when the film first premiered], whether the American audience were going to respond to it at all, but they were amazing.”
Tributes quickly began to pour in for Neill from across the globe after news of his death.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Neill was “one of the greats” in a social media post.
Luxon said Neill “started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports.”
“His work will be watched and loved long after all of us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace.”
NZ First leader Winston Peters also shared a tribute online.
“Sad news to hear that Sam Neill has passed away today,” he wrote on X.
“He was a Kiwi icon through his work in both local and Hollywood films that entertained people around the world over decades. Thoughts and prayers are with family and friends at this sad time.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to the late star.
“Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories, and he earned a special place in Australian hearts,” he said on X.
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.
“He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”
Actress Frances Barber also posted on X: “My heart is sore, I loved Sam, one of the most beautiful men I ever knew.”
John Clarke and Sam Neill in the 1990 black comedy Death in Brunswick, which is set in Melbourne.
This year Neill also won his third Logie, television award in Australia, this time the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for his performance as defence lawyer Brett Colby in legal drama The Twelve.
Neill previously won Most Outstanding Actor (2005) and Most Popular Actor (2023) at the Australian television awards.
He revealed in 2023 that his birth name was Nigel John Dermott Neill, and said changing his name early on after getting “fed up with Nigel” was the “best decision” of his life.
In his book Did I Ever Tell You This, Neill wrote: “The one thing I resent about my parents, the only thing, is that they called me Nigel. Changing my name to Sam at the age of 11 was probably the best decision I made in my life.”
Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats.
He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest…
— Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) July 13, 2026
Neill’s Central Otago winery Two Paddocks specialised in Pinot Noir that he established in 1993. He told the Herald in 2024 it was in his blood to be in the wine and spirit industry, as his family has been ever since they arrived in New Zealand in 1861.
“It’s been a very rewarding thing for me to be part of such a young industry, and I think we’ve done wonderful things in Central Otago. I’m very proud of my wine.”
“You take your work seriously, but never, ever take yourself seriously – that’s where the madness lies.”
In 2025, he received the prestigious New Zealand Screen Legend Award at the annual New Zealand Screen Awards, honouring his five-decade legacy in television and film.
Neill also received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Canterbury in 2002.