Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has died

Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders star Sam Neill has died aged 78.

The Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor was best known for his leading roles in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise and The Piano, and appeared in more than 50 films over his career.

The family of the screen star, who was one of New Zealand's most successful Hollywood exports, said his death had been "sudden and unexpected" in a statement on Monday.

Neill was diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022.

His family said he died in Sydney, Australia, on Monday and had been "cancer free" but did not specify the cause of death.

"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life," they said.

"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.

"They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care."

After his cancer diagnosis, Neill said he would take a short break from acting, and had announced he was cancer free earlier this year.

Neill was regarded as a talented and versatile actor, who had traversed blockbuster and and art house film throughout his career.

His range saw him dodge velociraptors in Jurassic Park, chop off Holly Hunter's finger in The Piano and poke out his own eyes in the sci-fi film Event Horizon in his on screen roles.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Neill was "one of the greats".

"He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of," he said.

"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."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to Neil as "wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic".

"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."

Neill was born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, but moved to New Zealand aged seven when his father decided to return home after retiring from the army.

At the age of 11, he changed his name to Sam.

In his 2023 memoir, he said "to land in a primary school with a plum in the voice and Nigel for a name was asking for trouble".

He described himself as a wonky, nerdy, unsporty and stuttering boy, but took his first steps into acting through school plays.

His big break came with the low-budget 1977 New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs, which led to bigger roles in neighbouring Australia.

Neill was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s, including Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong.

He first came to the attention of international audiences in Armstrong's 1979 film My Brilliant Career, which also introduced Judy Davis.

He later appeared in Phillip Noyce's 1989 thriller Dead Calm, which co-stars a then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman.

Neill twice co-starred with Meryl Streep, in Australian director Fred Schepisi's Plenty and - again for Schepisi - in A Cry in the Dark based on the true story of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback.

He missed out on a chance at mega-stardom in the mid-1980s when he did a screen-test for the role of James Bond, but later said his heart wasn't in it and during his daylong audition he'd felt awkward.

But he would later achieve blockbuster fame in Steven Spielberg's 1993 hit Jurassic Park, as palaeontologist Alan grant.

In 2022, he accepted ​a knighthood for outstanding contribution to film after years of turning down the honour.

Neill, who was married twice, divided his later years between Australia and his vineyard in New Zealand's Central Otago, which produced Pinot Noir under the label Two Paddocks.

He is survived by his two sons and two daughters.

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