Wellington: Actor Sam Neill has revealed he was being treated for stage 3 blood cancer, writing in a memoir that he was ‘may be dying’ from the disease diagnosed a year ago.
The New Zealander, who shot to fame after starring as Dr Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster ‘Jurassic Park’, said he started treatment last March for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Neill, 75, makes the revelation in his book ‘Did I Ever Tell You This?’, which will be out next week.
In the first chapter, written while undergoing chemotherapy, Neill said, “The thing is, I’m a crook. Maybe dying. Maybe I should speed things up.”
The actor told the Guardian he is now in remission but will continue to undergo chemotherapy for the rest of his life.
“I can’t pretend that last year didn’t have its dark moments,” he said.
“But those dark times bring light, you know, and made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends. Just happy to be alive.”
Neill’s extensive acting career began in the 1970s and spanned dozens of television and film roles, including ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘The Piano’.
He is currently preparing a role in a television adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel Apples Never Fall, which will be filmed in Australia. (AFP)