SYDNEY — Actor Sam Neill died at the age of 78 in Sydney. His death was confirmed by a statement posted to his social media page, which described the loss as “sudden and unexpected.”

The statement added that Neill “remained cancer free” at the time of his death. His family wrote that “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.” Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia.

Neill had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in 2023, a year in which he also released his memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” In an interview with The Guardian that same year, he reflected, “I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments.” Despite his illness, the family’s statement emphasized that he was cancer free when he died.

Born Nigel Neill in Northern Ireland in 1947, he emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 7. His family settled in Dunedin on the South Island, and he later attended boarding school in Christchurch. Neill became a foundational figure in New Zealand cinema, taking the lead role in the 1977 film “Sleeping Dogs,” one of the first major local productions.

His international breakthrough came with roles in films such as the 1979 period drama “My Brilliant Career” and the 1981 horror sequel “The Omen III,” where he played the adult antichrist Damien. He starred opposite Nicole Kidman in the 1989 thriller “Dead Calm” and appeared with Sean Connery in the 1990 Cold War submarine drama “The Hunt For Red October.” He co-starred with Meryl Streep in both “Plenty” and “A Cry in the Dark.”

Neill gained global recognition in 1993 as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park,” alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. He reprised the role in “Jurassic Park III” in 2001 and returned once more in the 2022 film “Jurassic World Dominion.” In a 2001 interview with the Daily News of New York, Neill said of his character, “I finally feel I’ve worked out how to be an action hero.” He added, “I’m happier with Grant this time,” and described him as someone who “is gnarly and grizzled, but he looks like he knows what he’s doing.”

His other notable performances included starring in Jane Campion’s 1993 drama “The Piano,” the 1997 sci-fi thriller “Event Horizon,” and the horror film “In the Mouth of Madness.” On television, he played the title role in the 1998 miniseries “Merlin,” for which he earned an Emmy nomination, and returned for a 2006 follow-up. He portrayed Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in “The Tudors,” Major Chester Campbell in “Peaky Blinders,” and Thomas Jefferson in the CBS miniseries “Sally Hemings: An American Tragedy.” More recently, he appeared in Apple TV+’s “Invasion” as Oklahoma Sheriff John Bell Tyson and in the mystery drama “Apples Never Fall” alongside Annette Bening. He also earned an Emmy nomination as narrator of the 2017 documentary series “Wild New Zealand.”

Outside acting, Neill produced pinot noir and riesling wines under his Two Paddocks brand, with his winery located in the Central Otago region of New Zealand’s South Island. In recognition of his contributions to film, he was awarded a knighthood, a title approved by Queen Elizabeth II.

Neill is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon posted a statement mourning his death, writing, “He started out when there was barely a film industry to speak of.”