Sam, Irish-born actor and New Zealand resident, died at the age of 78 on 13 July 2026 as a result of complications from an aggressive form of cancer, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. He revealed his devastating diagnosis in his book, Did I Ever Tell You This?: A Memoir.
His memoir reflects the dry wit and self-deprecating humour that he was much loved for throughout his life. Sam acted in both films and television and was awarded an MBE for his contribution to acting. He won many awards, including a TV Week Silver Logie For Most Popular Actor, and was nominated for several prestigious acting awards. Sam won two Logie awards for the Best Lead Actor in a Drama, including his stunning performance in The Twelve: Cape Rock Killer.
On his death, many leading actors paid tribute to his acting career. Among those who offered accolades for his contributions to film and television were Alex Baldwin, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. His contribution to the film industry was also recognised by Stephen Spielberg and Jimmy Barnes.
Sam loved his farm in New Zealand, his wine growing, miniature car collection, horse riding and his menagerie of animals. He maintained that he was never good at sports or physical activity and had a number of lucky breaks that led him, unintentionally, to his acting career. He claims that his early life as an “outlier”, having to survive school bullies and other unsavoury characters, was great preparation for his life as a professional actor.
Life’s lessons
Sam got his first real, paying job at the age of twelve and worked hard during school holidays in all sorts of unsuitable jobs. In his memoir, he claimed that there were real life lessons in these difficult experiences:
- you have to work hard to earn money
- the world is a very diverse place
- stay out of trouble by keeping your head down
- there are many forms of humour
- be respectful of other workers
- develop allies
- listen carefully to instructions you are given
- be grateful for your pay and your life.
Reflection
Sam epitomised a healthy confidence and avoided the trap of adopting a “superior conceit”. He was humble despite his brilliant acting career. He owned his foibles and recognised his “imperfections” and continued to improve his craft throughout his life.
Sam’s life attests to the fact that we can grow in mindfulness by being humble, an outcome of sound, honest self-awareness. He loved nature and found nurture in natural beauty and majesty.
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Image by NT Franklin from Pixabay
By Ron Passfield – Copyright (Creative Commons license, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives)
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