New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for starring in Jurassic Park and The Piano, has died aged 78 in Sydney in what his family described as a sudden and unexpected death.

Neill's family announced his death on Monday through a statement posted to his social media page. While the family said he "remained cancer free" at the time of his death, they did not specify a cause.

In 2023, Neill had disclosed that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma — a cancer of the blood cells.

Neill was known for his versatility as an actor, moving seamlessly between art films and major blockbusters. He appeared as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and played Holly Hunter's husband in The Piano. He was among a wave of Australian and New Zealand actors and filmmakers who achieved international prominence following an explosion of Australian cinema that began in the late 1970s, a group that includes Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, and directors Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong.

Sources: Al Jazeera