India, July 13 -- Veteran actor Sam Neill, best known for portraying Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, has died at the age of 78. His family confirmed that he passed away in Sydney on Monday, describing his death as "sudden and unexpected."

Neill revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, his family said he had remained cancer-free at the time of his death. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and went on to become one of the country's most celebrated actors. His breakthrough came with My Brilliant Career (1979), followed by acclaimed performances in Dead Calm, ...