Cillian Murphy has paid tribute to Peaky Blinders co star, Sam Neill, hailing him as "one of the finest actors".
This comes after Neill, who played Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of the Netflix hit, passed away aged 78 earlier this week. Neill was also renowned for his role as Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise.
"It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia", the statement read. "Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life".
"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care", the statement added.
"More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss".
Now, Cillian Murphy who plays Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders, paid homage to Neill with this statement.
"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", Murphy said.
Elsewhere, the official Instagram page for the show also paid tribute to Sm Neill.
"We are devastated to hear that Sam Neill has died", they said. "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".
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Other stars to pay tribute to Neill, include actor Joe Cole, who played John Shelby.
"Rest in peace big dog", Cole wrote.
In 2022, Sam Neill had been diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This saw him take a temporary break from acting. Earlier this year, Neill had announced that he was cancer free.
