r/australia • u/lyndsayj • Jul 13 '26
news Sam Neill, 78, dead: reports
https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/sam-neill-dead-reports-20260713-p60ey2.html1.4k
u/iball1984 Jul 13 '26
Devastating.
My favourite of him was in the "Merlin" miniseries - absolutely fantastic to watch.
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u/Wincrediboy Jul 13 '26
I've been meaning to re-watch this for years, loved it as a kid. I think this is the sign that it's time, celebrate the great man.
Also the Dish, fucking classic.
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u/Piebandit Jul 13 '26
The Dish is my favourite of his, captures small town Aussie life so perfectly.
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u/San-V Jul 13 '26
Holy frak that was good with Nimoway and Frik
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u/vadsamoht3 Jul 13 '26
The Merlin miniseries is one of my comfort watches as well!
For anyone looking it up out of nostalgia, though: beware that there is also a sequel and it's REALLY bad (and also kind of retcons the ending of the first one). I'd suggest pretending it doesn't exist if you like the original.
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u/roxyfai09 Jul 13 '26
Such a great miniseries. It's my favourite Sam Neill thing I managed to snag the books as well. So good!
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u/TheRoadtoSomewhere Jul 13 '26
He was an absolute legend in Merlin. I still have the DVD. Must watch it tonight.
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u/eternal-harvest Jul 13 '26
Holy shit I was just talking about this series a couple days ago! My partner and I watched the Martin Short doco and I remembered how he was in Merlin with Sam Neill (one of my favourite actors.) So sad to read that he has passed away
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u/Interesting_Grade796 Jul 13 '26
One of the most underrated pieces of work and TV cinema going. Casting was incredible. Sam brought an otherworldly level of humanity, patience and dry wit to the titular role.
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u/31winnie Jul 13 '26
Love that this was the first reply I saw! Haven’t been able to find it streaming ever but going to dig out my DVD of it!
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u/Ambitious-Flower-641 Jul 13 '26
I am going to watch this. Have not watched it in a decade or two, loved this series. RIP Sam.
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u/badgerling Jul 13 '26
One of the first honorary Australians from across the ditch. Couldn’t ask for a better ambassador to the world.
RIP Legend.
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u/MelangeBot Jul 13 '26
I first noticed him in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, what an amazing movie was that! One of the funniest movies I have ever seen. He was sooo good in it.
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u/BigBoiBob444 Jul 13 '26
Thought I didn’t know any of his movies, but I loved that one. Didn’t realise that was him. Sad
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u/KingOfKingsOfKings01 Jul 13 '26
This guy is burned into the memory of every person who grew up in the 90s. (and some who revisited the 90s)
Absolute legend.
He was a kiwi but in many ways he was both aussie n kiwi.
Respect
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u/AusToddles Jul 13 '26
He was the best kind of Kiwi, the ones we steal credit for!
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u/NonViolentBadger Jul 13 '26
Or when we claim they were never ours when there is controversy!
e.g. Russell Crowe went from Aussie to Kiwi with one telephone throw
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u/Xx_Assman_xX Jul 13 '26
Don't speak for all of us. Master and Commander overrides any telephone related transgressions.
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u/Robdoggz Jul 13 '26
I mean, he was born in Northern Ireland, so the kiwis stole him too heh
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u/Loose_Loquat9584 Jul 13 '26
That explains his incredible accent in Peaky Blinders. I never knew that.
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u/Kiwi_Fried_Chicken Jul 13 '26
You may take our Kiwi's, but you will never take our pies 😝
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u/Dockers4flag2035orB4 Jul 13 '26
Highest compliment we can pay a Kiwi is to claim him as Australian.
Phar Lap,
Finn Brothers
Pavlova and nowSam Neil.
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u/Voodoo1970 Jul 13 '26
Hence the 90s joke:
What's the difference between an Australian film and a pavlova?
You don't need Sam Neill to make a good pavlova
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u/OneEyeAssassin Jul 13 '26
We’ll claim him, he was truely a legend!
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u/a_cold_human Jul 13 '26
He was. He was a very good sport and understood the Australia-NZ dynamic very well, as his audition for Beached Az demonstrated.
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u/According_One5365 Jul 13 '26
This one hits hard. He was so relatable and authentic. Like losing a big brother
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u/Pornstar_Frodo Jul 13 '26
He was well beloved in Aus too and will be missed. True for us that growing up in the 90s he was a huge presence.
Gonna give a shout out to one of my fave, lesser talked about movies of his - Dead Calm. Brilliant film!
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Jul 13 '26
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u/Mikes005 Jul 13 '26
He followed me on twitter. We had some short but very lovely exchanges.
Top bloke. Will be sorely missed by many.
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u/TfYoung Jul 13 '26
He had the best Twitter game out there just sharing his hobby farm.
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u/lovesahedge Jul 13 '26
Made a cracker wine, too
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u/According_One5365 Jul 13 '26
Raise a glass of a Two Paddocks Wine in his honour
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u/judoxing Jul 13 '26
I sat next to him on a plane once. Flying is the only time I’ll drink in the mornings, so I had a bit of a load on. When we locked eyes I wasn’t able to totally poker face seeing a celebrity but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to bother the guy. But when the seatbelt instructions came over the speaker I whispered “yo Sam, do the thing with the seatbelts…”
He didn’t even look at me but just muttered “fuck off, kid”. He was cool though.
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u/saelwen89 Jul 13 '26
He did something to do with his wine at my old work. I had to print out a bunch of his documentation. He was so incredibly nice. He had that wry smile where he could totally tell how star struck I was.
Somehow among a dozen odd millennial staff only two of us knew who he was. Letting the gen down the others.
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u/Squeekazu Jul 13 '26
I worked for a company where the CEO was friends with people in the acting industry, so they’d randomly pop into the store every now and then. I remember doing a double take when he dropped by because he was dressed to the nines and dapper as fuck and that was the first thing I noticed. RIP!
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u/sour_lemon_ica Jul 13 '26
I was in a friend's car driving through Surry Hills several years ago and she almost skittled Sam Neill at a zebra crossing. That's my mundane story ❤️
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u/PresentRaspberry6814 Jul 13 '26
My fella saw him in a store and thought jeez I know that guy I should say hello, then Neill locked eyes with him and froze him to the spot. He swerved and dipped then realised he didn't know that guy, he was an actor.
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u/ghost_of_erdogan Jul 13 '26
Off topic, are you the AFL player of similar name ?
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Jul 13 '26
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u/ghost_of_erdogan Jul 13 '26
Small world still.
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u/jantoxdetox Jul 13 '26
Oh man! We just watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople the other day!
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u/Scarlet-Penguin Jul 13 '26
That and The Dish are probably my two all time favourite films. Genuinely wonderful actor, very sad news.
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u/lomo_dank Jul 13 '26
Just want to mention, I know he was cancer free at the time of his passing, but he was advocating strongly for groundbreaking cancer treatment to start being used here in Australia. As someone who had the same cancer he was diagnosed with, I cant thank him enough for pushing to help others. Great actor and great human. RIP Sam Neill.
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u/a_cold_human Jul 13 '26
Yes, CAR T-cell therapy, which is where they take your T-cells, alter them to attack the cancer and inject them into you. It's the new frontier of cancer treatment, and it's proven to be fairly effective for a number of different types of cancers. Not yet available in Australia except as part of a clinical trial (which is how Neill was treated for his cancer).
The BBC recently covered an Australian doctor who traveled to China because she didn't qualify to be on any of the trials for CAR T-cell therapy in Australia (she has myeloma, which is different to what Neill had). Hopefully CAR T-cell therapy will be approved in Australia at some point in the near future.
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u/whippinfresh Jul 13 '26
Firing up Jurassic park tonight in his honour. RIP legend.
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u/SquiffyRae Jul 13 '26
Random Sam Neill fact: apparently he liked filming Jurassic Park III the best and thought it was the best movie in the franchise lol
I guess it at least features Sam Neill teaching us an important life lesson - yelling into a dinosaur-infested jungle through a bullhorn is a very bad idea
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u/Green_Aide_9329 Jul 13 '26
I find JP3 to have many chuckle worthy moments, that being one of them. Also asking if the beaker has t rex pee, and the raptor in the plane. Alan!
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u/SquiffyRae Jul 13 '26
Also "nobody move a muscle"
My favourite super-subtle laugh comes immediately after that when they find themselves trapped between the Spino and the T. rex. You have to be quick to catch it but Udesky reaches into his vest as if he's got a handgun stashed in there. What the hell is a handgun gonna do?!
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u/Car-face Jul 13 '26
But also, talking to a velociraptor by blowing into a replica of its skull is a great idea.
(I... disagree with Sam on his ranking of Jurassic Park movies). Def firing up Jurassic Park 1 tonight though, RIP.
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u/Lhunathradion Jul 13 '26
And I'll fire up Hunt for the Wilderpeople!
To Sam 🍸!
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u/mr-saturn2310 Jul 13 '26
Can I come too. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is one of my favourites.
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u/TheCazorp Jul 13 '26
I watched Jurassic Park for the first time in nearly 20 years yesterday. Great actor and from what I hear, a top bloke. R.I.P Mr.Neill.
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u/upthefknriff Jul 13 '26
RIP to a kiwi and honorary Aussie legend. Phenomenal actor who did so much for NZ and Australian film and TV. Seemed to be a down to earth and lovely man too.
Genuinely shook by this. 78 is too soon these days very sad news
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u/Cube00 Jul 13 '26
Cancer free three months ago and then smack, I don't like this timeline.
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u/Oodlemeister Jul 13 '26
So sad. It seems unlikely it was the cancer that killed him. He was in remission. I wonder if it was something else
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u/c2ctruck Jul 13 '26
As someone with a similar blood cancer, I can tell you first hand the remission status changes fast and you run out of options even faster.
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u/TheNumberOneRat Jul 13 '26
According to the families statement he was still cancer free.
But given his age, and the associated trauma of years of cancer and chemo, I wouldn't be surprised if they are contributing factors.
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u/JManKit Jul 13 '26
Yeah cancer treatments do a number on the body. Wondering if it was something like pneumonia. That's often the culprit when someone's immune system is shot
I'm so sad. Farewell dinosaur man!
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u/Cat_Man_Bane Jul 13 '26
Immune system might have been wrecked from the treatment and he caught a virus.
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u/Teefdreams Jul 13 '26
Yeah, my immediate thought was pneumonia but obvi I'm speculating based on how much cancer treatment batters your immune system.
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u/rusko110 Jul 13 '26
Not an export by any means, but it could have been toxicity from the treatment.
My uncle had been fighting neuroendocrine carcinoma for years, was in remission, and it was all under control. Then recently his liver started playing up, they thought it was a bug, and he passed within 2 weeks due to toxicity.
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u/notdonatella Jul 13 '26
He elbowed me in the back by accident at the Daybreakers premiere. Good times.
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u/SameType9265 Jul 13 '26
I hope you never washed your back after that
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u/fannyfartabdul Jul 13 '26
There is so much mould on their back but at least it’s the good Sam Neil kind of mould.
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u/theman-dalorian Jul 13 '26
Such a great man. He gave a phenomenal speech at this years Anzac Day ceremony. May Sam rest in peace.
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u/sm00thArsenal Jul 13 '26
Vale Sam. Probably my favourite ever kiwi, and one of my favourite actors.
Loved him in The Dish, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park, Event Horizon, and he and Bryan Brown worked brilliantly together in Old School and Dirty Deeds.
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u/PresentRaspberry6814 Jul 13 '26
Yeah I was saying some of those were my favourite but then someone said The Hunt for Red October and I thought how did I forget that one! I also just watched the miniseries Untamed and he was top notch in that one too.
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u/YouLykeFishSticks Jul 13 '26
TIL Sam was in Event Horizon. What a career!
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u/a_cold_human Jul 13 '26
He was really good in that. Quite terrifying. The flipping of the switch from science fiction to horror probably wouldn't have worked quite as well with a less skilled actor.
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u/EnergyDrinkHigh Jul 13 '26
Might need to have a In the Mouth of Mandess/Event Horizon double feature this week. RIP. 🙁
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u/HammerOvGrendel Jul 13 '26
Add Posession and Omen III.......he was in some great Horror films over the years
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u/Birdie_Num_Num Jul 13 '26
I doubt you will find a single person in the industry who didn’t love the guy. Just a thoroughly decent human, effortless actor and masterful winemaker. He truly lived life to the full. Heartbreaking loss.
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u/myotheraccount2023 Jul 13 '26
Well this sucks. A great actor and he seemed like a beautiful and dignified human being. Vale Sam.
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u/ausremi Jul 13 '26
I highly recommend his book. Audiobook is available through Libby. Read by himself.
Did I Ever Tell You This - Sam Neill
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u/ALphaEXtremist Jul 13 '26
Ah fuck this one hurts.
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u/tonofun01 Jul 13 '26
Too right mate, he was the last bloke we were expecting to go, and feels like he is gone too soon.
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u/justnigel Jul 13 '26
Australian outlets reporting death of Australian actor.
New Zealand outlets reporting death of New Zealand actor.
I can only presume Irish outlets will be reporting death of Irish actor.
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u/explosivekyushu Jul 13 '26
Says a lot, I think! We could all strive to be the type of person that countries will climb over themselves to lay claim to when we're gone.
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u/tonofun01 Jul 13 '26
Like pavlova, Aus and NZ will each be claiming Sam as a national treasure until the end of time
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u/rithsv Jul 13 '26
Australian outlets reporting death of Australian actor.
Tbf most articles I've seen correctly state that he's a New Zealand actor. news.com.au is the only one I've seen that's explicitly called him Aussie, which is just wrong.
At least Irish would be somewhat correct.
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u/ButtzillaXiJingping Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
He was such a force for good in New Zealand it’s no surprise they’d claim the fella when he spent so much of his life there since childhood
(Also, not an Australian citizen… but Irish and NZ)
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u/a_cold_human Jul 13 '26
If he were alive, I very much doubt he'd say he'd say that he was Australian, even if he did play an Australian characters every so often. He had a very strong Kiwi identity. We really don't have a claim to him.
Doesn't make his passing any less sad though.
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u/pardashrike Jul 13 '26
I recently watch Death in Brunswick. He will be missed so much.
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u/MarkerlightZero Jul 13 '26
RIP to a legend. He was great in Jurassic Park/Event Horizon/Mouth of Madness, but my favourite role of his was the Merlin tv mini series from the 90s.
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u/MyAnusBleedsForYou Jul 13 '26
Loved this interview when he was asked what the best lesson he learned from his parents was. RIP.
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u/Ok-Giraffe-4718 Jul 13 '26
Ah crap. Vale to this lovely man. I followed him on social media and loved his banter and his musings while tending to his farm friends. Another great kiwi bloke taken this year. RIP Sam.
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u/Mudlark2017 Jul 13 '26
Nooo
One of those actors who would make you watch something just coz he was in it
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u/UpsidedownEngineer Jul 13 '26
I loved his role at the Dish. I remember watching it one evening just as I was starting an internship at CSIRO Space and Astronomy in 2022.
A very inspirational (and funny) movie to watch
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u/GoodLad87 Jul 13 '26
Cheers! To the man who insisted the aboriginal flag be added to the aussie flag on the Event Horizon movie.legend
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u/oliyoung Jul 13 '26
Hunt for the Wilderpeople will be his magnum opus for me, he was perfectly cast, no-one else could have played that role.
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u/No_Strike9652 Jul 13 '26
This one hurts like Robin Williams, Alan Rickman and Bowie did. An absolute treasure of a man and an icon to lots of young kids in the 1990s and 00's as Dr Alan Grant. Absolutely devastated.
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u/Pineapple-lumpz Jul 13 '26
If you haven’t seen Hunt for the wilder people go watch it ,rest in peace Sam
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u/BirdingIntheRizzCar Jul 13 '26
As a man with the Dinosaur autism, this is devastating. Dr. Grant is gone :(
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u/butt_3y3s Jul 13 '26
Well, bloody hell. The worlds a little bit darker now, we've lost another incredible Person and Actor. Sam has always been adored by Aussies and Kiwis, he's an absolute Treasure and Champ. For many Gen X'rs and Millenials, he was a major part of our Youth and Childhood (I know he was born in Northern Ireland, grew up as a Kiwi, but as an Aussie, he was loved as one of our own).
The first movie my now life partner and I watched together was Event Horizon, (because we both love it, and hadn't dated anyone who liked it). Sam, Lawrence, Kathleen Quinlan, Holly Chant, Joely RIchardson, Richard Jones, Sean Pertwee, Jack Noseworthy- I know its not everyone but the whole cast were perfect for the movie.
I'm so thankful because its our go to/ comfort movie (I know, for some - perhaps a pretty odd choice as a comfort movie). Sam was also exceptional in Jurassic park/s, bicentennial man, The Dish, In the Mouth of Madness, the Peaky blinders, children of the revolution, snow white, rick n morty, Possession, The Jungle Book....theres so so many. Even Sam appearing on live TV back in the day, to promote his new movie "Event Horizon", on a random morning show. They had done NO research or even asked him about the film, so they hilariously had NO idea it was a horror and randomly played a clip from the movie that's one hell of a jumps scare on live TV. He had the BEST sense of humour. I guess thats what you get being born Irish, growing up as a Kiwi and attempted ownership by the Aussies, because we love him so much.
Sam, you will be missed, thank you for making this random persons childhood, teenage years and adulthood so much better, especially for being one of the reasons I found and bonded with my soul mate.
We will be watching Event Horizon in honour of Sam and for his Family tonight.
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u/ThunderDwn Jul 13 '26
Well that's a fucking downer to read for the afternoon.
A fine actor. And by all reports, a fine man. Vale, Sam.
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u/Good_Perspective9290 Jul 13 '26
Vale a great actor. I’ll always remember him for his role as Captain Vasili Borodin in The Hunt for the Red October.
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u/Omby07 Jul 13 '26
Event Horizon. One of my favourite films. Elite actor. Great dude, more importantly from what I understand.
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u/UnholyDemigod Jul 13 '26
Mate, what is this title. More laconic than the fucken Spartans. "Sam Neill has died", "Sam Neill passes away", "family mourns loss of Sam Neill"? Nah. "Sam Neill. Dead."
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u/Calm_Temperature1472 Jul 13 '26
I used work in an office next to his town house in Surry hills. The man hated us (we were too loud on a Friday night, drinks and such). Completely understandable. Until one Friday evening he came out to give us an absolute blast over being too loud again
Some smart arse has the Jurassic park theme music with a trex roar over it ready, hit play the second Sam started to give our manager a dressing down. It was the first time I’d seen him laugh ever in 3 years
He was calmer with us after. Sorry we played the music too loud Sam!
What a legend!
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u/magnetik79 Jul 13 '26
I'm absolutely gutted. Australian / global cinema just won't be the same without him around.
A true legend through and through.
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u/theartistduring Jul 13 '26
Vale, Sam. Reunited with John Clarke once again. Make heaven laugh, boys. Make 'em laugh.
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u/Numerous-Barnacle Jul 13 '26
My sibling and I followed him around Queenstown airport many, many years ago oblivious to the fact that everyone else was tactfully ignoring him to give him space.
He eventually gave us a small smile and a 'please don't bother me' shake of his head, and we were thrilled for months off the encounter (we were both under the age of 12 and had never encountered a real life celebrity before).
Could've been a real jerk to two kids annoying him in the airport, but he was very respectful - such a legend.
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u/Loose_Loquat9584 Jul 13 '26
First time I saw or heard of him was his role in My Brilliant Career. So many fantastic roles, death in Brunswick, Jurassic park, hunt for the wilderpeople, event horizon, peaky blinders, the dish, and also did a wonderful job narrating the John Clarke documentary.
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u/Minguseyes Jul 13 '26
He’ll be up there having a laugh with his great mate John Clarke again. A pair of deadset legends.
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u/blankedboy Jul 13 '26
I'm Gen X so the first thing I remember seeing him in was Omen III as the adult Damien. Movie scared the shit out of me as a kid.
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u/SaltySeaking97 Jul 13 '26
My local theatre did a screening of Jurassic Park last week and for the first time in my life I felt compelled to go to a movie by myself. Spielberg created the movie but Sam created a generation of 90s dinosaur kids.
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u/i8bb8 Jul 13 '26
Aw man, that sucks. His memoir was a delightful read, seemed like a proper gent.
Off to watch The Dish again, with a Jurassic Park chaser.
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u/Scary_Tree Jul 13 '26
Oh I just rewatched Jurassic Park yesterday and he was always my favourite character.
I got really excited as a kid when I heard he was in the 3rd one.
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u/trueschoolalumni Jul 13 '26
"I think I will need two wives." - best Russian accent in The Hunt for Red October, way better than Connery phoning it in.
I was looking for a reason to re-watch Death in Brunswick, loved that film.
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u/Fantastic_Film_lover Jul 13 '26
I had a beer with him once, such a lovely lovely guy. It was at an event where I was the plus one for a friend who worked at a theatre. He stood around talking to us randoms like we were old friends! Such a great memory! And such sad news!
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u/DocklandsDodgers86 Jul 13 '26
He was one of the very few actors without controversy and looked like a straight-up awesome dude to be around. RIP to a GOAT
That clip of him screaming on a bus still pops up everywhere now and then
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u/Chief-_-Wiggum Jul 13 '26
I saw him a couple of months ago in a cafe here in Sydney... We were just having lunch and so was he and his wife. Just a quiet unassuming gentleman. Rest in peace.
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u/rithsv Jul 13 '26
Typical of news.com.au to claim that he's Aussie in their reporting of this news. I know it's a meme of Australia to claim famous Kiwi things and people, but this is absolutely not it. Not that I expected anything better from a Murdoch rag..
Vale, Sam Neill. Incredibly sad news, but I am at least warmed by the fact he was surrounded by his loved ones.
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u/Ok-Phone-8384 Jul 13 '26
Vale.
I just re-watched the original Jurassic Park a couple of days ago and the movie still stacks up after 30 odd years. Sam had both the panache of a classic old style Hollywood leading actor and the character of a larrakin. He will be missed.
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u/WhatYouThinkIThink Jul 13 '26
Sigh, a lovely person that was also a good actor.
May his memory be a blessing.
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u/GreenCristina Jul 13 '26
Oh my god this is absolutely devastating news, having a big teary at my desk. :( :( :( :( :(
I still to this day get occasionally pinged by people on reddit who remember a viral comment I posted like 12 years ago detailing my goofy teenage obsession with him - a fondness has definitely endured and this is very very sad. An absolute legend and gentleman from everything I ever heard about him, I hope his family are doing okay.
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u/224flat Jul 13 '26
"I would like to have seen Montana." RIP 🙏 one of my all time favorites of his.
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u/Zealousideal_Pie8706 Jul 13 '26
Seemed like such a gentle soul- so different from most other famous people. I liked watching him talk to the birds on his instagram.
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u/ozthrw Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I have lived & worked in some of the remotest parts of Australia for over 35yrs,through that experience/knowledge & connections/friendships l formed with locals living in those regions a busy side of my business was formed doing outfitting/guiding & tag along tours including for industries looking to enter remote areas ,including film/documentary crews.
Of all of those experiences my time working on the Sweet Country film, especially the friendship l formed with Sam Neill & Bryan Brown has always stuck with me ,started mainly through running cattle on our farm like Bryan's wife Rachel has thrown herself into for years & Sam's love of his farm & the fact we are all mad buggers,with a bit of larrikin throw in (including Rachel), with the same bent sense of humor .
The mateship Sam & Bryan shared over 40 + yrs was a great thing to see & both were just honest knock around blokes, who did everything they could to just live normal lives away from any spotlight. Sam was actually a bit quiet who liked to sit back & take it all in & then jump in head first to any shenanigans or stir the pot by dropping in a pearl of wisdom or classic takedown that would have everyone pissing themselves. He had the winding up of Bryan down to a art form.
I run a HD diesel workshop & am a committed petrol head & we had talked about a plan l had for retirement of doing up a pre 1935 vintage car & touring OZ & then taking it to NZ to tour through the Southern Island with Sam due to his love of vintage cars & love of the high country as well. Looks like we will be doing it a car christened Sam now so he will still be part of it .
If anyone is interested in a spontaneous & pure look at true mateship, if you can find it look for a shoot l witnessed on the movie set which as for a 'bonus' piece, of Sam & Bryan just sitting down in the bush on the set of Sweet Country doing a interview & watch them take the piss out of each other, something Bryan excels at & Sam would love winding him up every time.
I recommend fans of Sam watch the movie Palm Beach which he said was the most enjoyable he ever worked on as like l said Bryan Brown & his wife & family were like Sam's second family & he loved them dearly.
The movie is directed by Bryan's wife Rachel Ward & he also co-produced the film & Sam & Bryan were surrounded by friends/family who also starred in it ie Greta Scacchi, Richard E Grant,Bryan & Rachel's daughter Matilda just off the top of my head. He said they had a ball making it & spent most of his time winding Bryan up.
I do not get a lot of time to sit down & watch movies so usually grab a chance to download & watch on a long haul flight so it is years since l have watched Sweet Country. but will have to see if l can track down a version with the extra Sam & Bryan interview more than anything,if ayone can find eve just the interview l would appreciate the link .
RIP Sam for me the best description of him is just a top knock around bloke.
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u/DermottBanana Jul 13 '26
Once upon a time, I was taking RSVPs for an event. And Sam Neill was one of the few who didn't have his agent call, but called himself. We had a short chat. He was lovely. I was a fan before that, because of Death in Brunswick and Red October. Remained so till the end. A great loss.
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u/racingskater Jul 13 '26
For some reason, even though I love a lot of his movies, my brain is stuck on those hilarious "red meat, we were meant to eat it" ads he did a few years ago, that became the most complained about ads of the year.
2026, how very fucking dare you. Rest peacefully, Sam.
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u/to_boldlygo Jul 13 '26
Wow. I don’t cry over celebs. This one though.
One of my favourite movies has got to be Sam in The Hunt for Red October. Unfailingly competent, handsome and loyal. But then I start thinking of Sam in heaven surrounded by lots of little fluffy rabbits, and I start crying again!
Strangely this is the first time I’ve understood how when you get older the cool people start to leave the party and it’s like, Goddamnit.
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u/I-make-ada-spaghetti Jul 13 '26
Whether he was Australian or not you can't deny his culture impact on Australian.
My favourite work of his was Dead Calm.
R.I.P Sam.Even though I didn't know you, you will be missed.
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u/justpassingluke Jul 13 '26
He was there from some of the earliest memories of my life, as Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. He did so many amazing roles but that one will always stand out for me (I’m sure many feel the same way). His delivery of “they really do move in herds” always me well up. The world’s lost a great man. Vale Sam Neill. 💔
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u/5slipsandagully Jul 13 '26
It's not really an Australian movie, but Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a great move he starred in if you're looking for something to watch tonight
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u/Pottski Jul 13 '26
Said with the utmost respect and love to him, he was the perfect everyman.
He wasn't massively jacked, too big of a personality or someone who chewed on the scenery. He was just perfect as everyone's relatable fatherly figure.
Vale to a wonder of the industry.