'What a day it's been': Sir Sam Neill tributes pour in from NZ film industry and beyond

Sir Sam Neill is being remembered as a warm, talented, thoughtful and funny man who graced New Zealand screens for decades.

The Kiwi actor died unexpectedly surrounded by loved ones in a Sydney hospital last night.

His death comes just months after the Jurassic Park actor announced he was cancer-free. His family confirmed in a statement that he did not have cancer when he died.

Tributes flow in for Kiwi star

Actress Rima Te Wiata played Bella in Hunt for the Wilderpeople alongside on-screen husband Hector, played by Neill.

Te Wiata told Ryan Bridge TODAY Neill was “very good energy to be around”.

“He was a very steady, peaceful, grounded man.

“I’d describe him as a lovely gardener, someone who would do a vege garden.

“He was a really good communicator and listener, had good instincts and spirit, had a lot of empathy.”

Award-winning actor and director Sir Ian Mune, who had known Neill for 50 years, told Mike Hosking Breakfast he had last seen him just a few months ago for dinner.

“On the way back to his hotel I lit up a smoke in the car and he was surprised. He said: ‘I didn’t know people still smoked in their cars.’ Sam didn’t smoke, but he did that day to celebrate with me smoking in my own car.”

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Mune said he learned a lot about Neill on the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs.

“He hated performance or hated when he was seen to be acting and so people knew that what they were getting on screen was the truth.”

The Lord of the Rings director Sir Peter Jackson paid tribute to the “fellow Kiwi filmmaker” and said his wry wit and wisdom would be missed.

“From the first, in front of the camera and quietly behind it - from Sleeping Dogs, to the myriad of other brilliant performances you gave us, you have always been a shining light of talent, creativity and graceful joy in the act of telling a story.”

Cillian Murphy is among dozens of Hollywood stars who paid tribute, after the pair starred together as rivals in British series Peaky Blinders.

“Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure.

“He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors. RIP.”

Actor and musician Jeff Goldblum, who famously played alongside Neill in the Jurassic Park movies, wrote a short and simple send off.

“The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever.” It was signed off with a dinosaur and heart emoji.

Nicole Kidman said she would greatly miss her “friend for life” who was a joy to be around.

“We met when I was just 18, and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life.

“He was charming, kind, funny, and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family.”

Russell Crowe also bid farewell.

“Sam Neil. Kind, wise, impish, graceful, warm.

“The last time I saw him I took the opportunity to tell him he was an inspiration to me. Rest in Peace, Sam.”

Singer Jimmy Barnes said he would always remember solving the world’s problems with his “dear friend”.

“What a day it’s been. My dear friend Sam left us today.

“I can’t believe we will no longer be eating great food together and sharing the odd glass of wine down at his winery, while laughing, singing and solving the problems of the world together.

“... Sam was everything he appeared to be on the screen. Caring, funny, intelligent, charming, honest, talented, the list could go on.

“Rest easy, dear Sam. You are always in our hearts.”

Director Steven Spielberg shared his adoration for Neill, whom he remembered as “exceptionally collaborative”.

“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.”

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark said Neill brought “great pride” to New Zealand through his numerous onscreen appearances which received wide international recognition.

“Also a champion of NZ’s arts, culture, unique environment, & wines. Deepest sympathies to family,” she said.

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern said she had the “profound joy” of meeting Neill only a few weeks ago, where they discussed “life, politics, and home”.

“We’ve lost another incredible Kiwi, and I feel profoundly sad. All my aroha to his whānau and friends. And to you, Sam, you have our gratitude and admiration. Rest easy. Moi mai rā.”

In a social media post, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Neill was “one of the greats”.

Luxon said Neill “started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports.”

Act leader David Seymour, who met Neill in the kitchen of a mutual friend, told Ryan Bridge TODAY Neill was “energetic, opinionated and hugely talented”.

“I was lucky to meet him just as we’re all lucky to have had him and he’s gone far too soon - 78‘s not old anymore.”

Asked what Neill said to him in the kitchen, Seymour said the actor was “very polite”.

“But he didn’t say, ‘I’m going to vote for you’, that’s for sure.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories, and he had “earned a special place in Australian hearts”.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he grew up watching Neill, describing him as “a giant of the screen who took our stories to the world and yet still felt like one of us”.

Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro said Neill was one of New Zealand’s great storytellers.

“Through his work and the way he carried himself, he reflected so many qualities New Zealanders hold dear: humility, generosity, decency, and a deep commitment to his craft.”

She said Neill helped strengthen the cultural ties between New Zealand and Australia, and lifted New Zealand’s profile on the world stage.

“He did so with grace, mana, and unmistakable wit.”

Magda Szubanski, of Kath and Kim fame, said Neill’s death was “devastating”.

“[A] great loss to the global acting community, Australia and New Zealand, and to ornery ducks,” she wrote on Instagram.

“God bless you my darling and may flights of angels carry you to those happy paddocks beyond the sky where there will be endless supplies of excellent wine and great company and animals gambolling happily. All my love.”

Equity NZ president Jennifer Ward-Lealand said: “Sam gave a lot to our profession and to our industry. He supported young performers and turned up to visit student actors, talking openly about the industry and not afraid to answer their questions.”

Celebrated visual artist Sir Grahame Sydney remembered Neill as “a great friend to many and an immense contributor to contemporary cultural life in New Zealand”.

Neill’s family life

Neill was born in Northern Ireland to an English mother, Priscilla Beatrice Ingham, and a Kiwi father, Dermot Neill.

The family moved to New Zealand when Neill was 7, living in Dunedin before he attended boarding school in Christchurch.

Neill went on to have four children, in what he has described as a “slightly unusual family”.

He and his first wife, the New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, had a son named Tim in 1983.

He later married Noriko Watanabe, a Japanese makeup artist, with the pair having a daughter, Elena, in 1991 as well as Neill adopting Watanabe’s older daughter, Maiko.

In 1994, he was reunited with his son Andrew, who was placed for adoption when Neill was in his early 20s.

“I didn’t see him for 25 years and then we went looking for each other,” Neill told the Times.

Watanabe and Neill separated in 2017. He and ABC journalist Laura Tingle then spent “three wonderful years” together before separating in 2021.

Tingle posted a tribute to Neill last night on social media, sharing a series of photos with the caption “Sweet dreams darling Sam”.