Heartbreaking reason Sam Neill finished his memoir resurfaces after actor’s death aged 78
The late actor revealed he rushed to finish his autobiography during cancer treatment because he feared he was running out of time, with the candid remarks resurfacing following his death.
Sam Neill wrote his memoir as he had no idea how long he had left to live.
The Jurassic Park star, who has died aged 78, revealed in an emotional interview the fear he was running out of time during his battle with an aggressive form of blood cancer was the reason he rushed to complete his autobiography.
His comments were made in a 2024 interview with The Guardian which have resurfaced since news broke of his passing, which was announced on Monday. (13.07.26)
Speaking while promoting the second season of The Twelve, Sam explained why he had been determined to finish his memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, saying: “The truth was, I didn’t know how long I had to live. What I had was aggressive. I thought I’d better scribble down some stuff before I shuffle.”
Sam added “the idea of having nothing to do” while he was receiving chemotherapy in Sydney was “unbearable”, so he decided to put pen to paper.
He also said: “I had nothing else to do.”
The Dead Calm actor died in hospital in Sydney on Monday after what his family described as a “sudden and unexpected” death.
In a statement shared on Instagram, they said Sam, who was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, died surrounded by family “with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.
Two months before his death, Sam announced he was cancer-free following treatment for stage-three blood cancer.
His passing has prompted tributes from across the film industry to an actor whose career spanned more than five decades, from Jurassic Park, The Piano and The Hunt for Red October to Peaky Blinders and The Tudors.
His final films, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort, are scheduled for posthumous release in 2027.
Among those who have paid tribute to the star was Richard E. Grant, who remembered his friend in a post on Instagram.
Richard wrote: “Knew @samneilltheprop for 3 decades and finally worked with him on PALM BEACH in 2018… an officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense.”
Richard, whose wife Joan Washington died from cancer in 2021, added Sam had “guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my Life”.
He concluded his tribute with the message: “Sail on, kind Sir.”
New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon also honoured Sam’s contribution to the country’s film industry.
The politician said: “He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of.”
He added: “For more than 50 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. His work will be watched and loved long after all of us.”
Australian director Phillip Noyce, who directed Sam in Dead Calm alongside Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, also shared a tribute.
Phillip said: “Sam was perhaps the most gentlemanly actor I ever encountered. Level-headed and sincere in a show business world of crazy egos. His word was his contract.”
Sam became an international star as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, reprising the role in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion.
