The star of more than 100 films is remembered as a champion of New Zealand’s arts, culture and environment, and a generous collaborator and friend
• Sam Neill’s final interview
• His 20 best performances
• A life in pictures
• ‘A true gentleman’: actors, directors and leaders pay tribute to Neill
• Neill interviewed in 2023, 2024 and 2026
Sam Neill’s friends, peers and admirers have rushed to pay tribute to the actor after his sudden death on Monday at the age of 78.
Steven Spielberg, who directed Neill in Jurassic Park, said he was “saddened” by the news. “Sam was exceptionally collaborative,” he said. “It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children.”