Cillian Murphy has paid an emotional tribute to his late former co-star and friend Sam Neill, who has died aged 78.
The New Zealand actor, who was also familiar to fans for his role in Jurassic Park, passed away in hospital in Sydney, Australia, on Monday 13 July.
Cillian Murphy and Sam Neill worked together on the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders from 2013 to 2014.
Murphy played the show’s lead, Tommy Shelby, while the late actor starred as Chester Campbell, a ruthless police inspector who had been tracking the Shelby family for two seasons. Neill’s character was killed in the season 2 finale, when Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, shot him in a phone booth.
Now, Murphy has paid tribute to his late friend, saying (via Deadline): “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.”
The pair had remained friends over the 12 years since Neill left Peaky Blinders, with Neill sharing a photo of the two together to celebrate Murphy’s Oppenheimer Oscar win in 2024.
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The Peaky Blinders team also paid tribute to the late actor, saying they were “devastated” by the news.
In an Instagram post on the show’s official account, the team said: “We are devastated to hear that Sam Neill has died.
“Sam’s portrayal of Chester Campbell is one for the ages. A villain who is despicable, petty, manipulative, but also charismatic, vulnerable, funny, and supremely entertaining to watch.
“Sam was one of the key forces that got Peaky Blinders off to a running start, for which we will be forever grateful. Our love and thoughts are with his family.”
A statement made on his Instagram on behalf of Neill’s family revealed that while his death was “sudden and unexpected”, he passed away surrounded by family and with “dignity”.
Neill revealed in March 2023 that he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma a year earlier and confirmed in April 2026 that recent scans had shown he was cancer-free.
His family has confirmed that at the time of his death he “remained cancer free”.
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