He is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Neill said he underwent CAR T-cell therapy, a treatment that genetically modifies blood cells.<\/p>\n
The actor lived in Central Otago and owned the Two Paddocks vineyards.<\/p>\n
Neill was best known worldwide as the iconic paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg\u2019s blockbuster Jurassic Park, which premiered in 1993. The same year he starred as Alisdair Stewart in the Academy Award-winning film The Piano.<\/p>\n
Neill\u2019s breakthrough role came in the Kiwi classic Sleeping Dogs, a dramatic action-thriller that ultimately launched his cinematic career in 1977.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the hit British miniseries Reilly, Ace of Spies in 1983.<\/p>\n
Sam Neill, Ariana Richards, and Joseph Mazzello in Jurassic Park (1993).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She called their on-screen and off-screen pairing \u201ca perfect fit\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was literally working alongside him, having to sit at a desk for days and days on end next to him \u2013 he brings such a great energy to the set.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was sort of naturally taken on board by osmosis and our work relationship. And it was just marvellous to watch him work. He\u2019s incredibly generous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neill had told Australian outlet 7News this year he was cancer-free after half a decade of unsuccessful treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve 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,\u201d Neill said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn\u2019t ideal obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sad news to hear that Sam Neill has passed away today. <\/p>\n
He was a Kiwi icon through his work in both local and Hollywood films that entertained people around the world over decades. <\/p>\n
Thoughts and prayers are with family and friends at this sad time.<\/p>\n