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 role in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise, The Piano and numerous other films from his home country and Australia.

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 had been "cancer free" when he died.

"It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia," his family said in a statement.

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

"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.

"More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss."

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.

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.

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