You never know who you might run into in a theatre foyer in Adelaide’s festival season, and for photographer Alex Frayne it was revered actor Sam Neill.

During the 2020 Adelaide Festival, after a performance of The Iliad – Out Loud in the former University of Adelaide’s Scott Theatre, Frayne met Neill.

It was the first and only time Frayne met and photographed the Jurassic Park actor, after spotting him in the foyer.

“I was introduced to him by a friend, and was lucky to shoot these images and go for a drink,” Frayne said.

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“A thoroughly decent bloke, I thought. An everyman, sure…but also…a really big star.”

Neill died on Monday, aged 78, in Sydney, surrounded by family.

“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” according to a post on Neill’s official Instagram account.

Neill was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2022, but in April announced his cancer-free status after taking part in an Australian clinical trial.

The New Zealand actor, who featured prominently in Australian films in a storied career that included roles in Peaky Blinders and Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Neill also performed in Sweet Country in 2017 and The Fox in 2025, which were backed by the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund.

In addition to his storied acting career, Neill was passionate about wine and produced pinot noir and riesling from his winery in New Zealand’s South Island under the Two Paddocks brand.

On social media, he often posted images of his farm animals, many of them affectionately named after celebrities and friends, like Laura Dern the chicken, Kylie Minogue the duck and Helena Bonham Carter the cow.

His family said Neill “passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.

Alex Frayne is an Adelaide-based photographic artist and regular contributor to InDaily.