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Gillian Armstrong remembers Sam Neill: ‘I can’t believe that the very next day he was gone’

The Australian director who gave the actor his big break in My Brilliant Career remembers ‘a smart, gentle, decent, passionate, loyal, surprisingly funny man’ Sam Neill’s final interview and his life in pictures The Piano director Jane Campion remembers Sam Neill Neill interviewed in 2023 , 2024 and 2026 What can I say? I’m shocked and sad. He’d just been through the cancer treatments and was finally free . And bang! He’s gone. But what wonderful heartfelt tributes from everywhere. Yes, Sam was a great actor, in so many films, so many roles . Dashing, dry, evil, cheeky, damaged and very heroic. Even my grandson knows that man with the dinosaurs. I loved him having fun as that sly, handsome, grey-haired lawyer in The Twelve . Continue reading...

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The Australian director who gave the actor his big break in My Brilliant Career remembers ‘a smart, gentle, decent, passionate, loyal, surprisingly funny man’ Sam Neill’s final interview and his life in pictures The Piano director Jane Campion remembers Sam Neill Neill interviewed in 2023 , 2024 and 2026 What can I say? I’m shocked and sad. He’d just been through the cancer treatments and was finally free . And bang! He’s gone. But what wonderful heartfelt tributes from everywhere. Yes, Sam was a great actor, in so many films, so many roles . Dashing, dry, evil, cheeky, damaged and very heroic. Even my grandson knows that man with the dinosaurs. I loved him having fun as that sly, handsome, grey-haired lawyer in The Twelve . Continue reading...

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What happened

According to The Guardian’s linked report, Gillian Armstrong remembers Sam Neill: ‘I can’t believe that the very next day he was gone’, The Australian director who gave the actor his big break in My Brilliant Career remembers ‘a smart, gentle, decent, passionate, loyal, surprisingly funny man’ Sam Neill’s final interview and his life in pictures The Piano director Jane Campion remembers Sam Neill Neill interviewed in 2023 , 2024 and 2026 What can I say? I’m shocked and sad. He’d just been through the cancer treatments and was finally free . And bang! He’s gone. But what wonderful heartfelt tributes from everywhere. Yes, Sam was a great actor, in so many films, so many roles . Dashing, dry, evil, cheeky, damaged and very heroic. Even my grandson knows that man with the dinosaurs. I loved him having fun as that sly, handsome, grey-haired lawyer in The Twelve . Continue reading…

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Culture coverage for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The linked report is dated 2026-07-15T05:42:38+00:00.

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Primary source: Gillian Armstrong remembers Sam Neill: ‘I can’t believe that the very next day he was gone’ via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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