Kiwi actor Sam Neill dead at 78

Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ) also expressed "deep sadness".

"Sir Sam Neill's contribution to the performing arts in New Zealand was immense, and we have always appreciated his support for our organisation," SGCNZ CEO Dawn Sanders said.

"He showed generations of young New Zealanders that a life on stage and screen was possible from here, and he did it with warmth, wit and a complete lack of pretension.