Actor Samuel Johnson recovering in hospital after being hit by a car

The charity founder and actor Samuel Johnson is in hospital after he was hit by a car on Saturday night, his sister says.

Hilde Hinton said in a post on the Love Your Sister charity Facebook page on Tuesday night that Johnson was awake and “tucked away safely” in hospital.

“I wish I didn’t have to tell you this,” she wrote to the page’s 580,000 followers. “Early Saturday night Sam was on his way to visit family when he was accidentally hit by a car.”

Hinton praised the “fantastical medical staff” who were “in overdrive taking care of his sore head”.

“He’s awake and not too happy that he doesn’t have his pants – nobody loves a hospital gown,” she said. “Hearing his voice is lovely, but can’t wait for hugs when it’s safe.”

Johnson, 43, is a Gold Logie winner known for his roles in Australian TV series including The Secret Life of Us and Rush.

In 2012 he created the cancer charity Love Your Sister with his sister Connie, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Johnson all but quit his acting career to focus on fundraising and in 2014 he rode a world-record 16,000km on a unicycle to raise nearly $1.5m for cancer services.

He was awarded an OAM for services to cancer research and the performing arts in 2016.

Connie died in 2017, aged 40. She was also awarded an OAM.

Love Your Sister has raised more than $10m for cancer research through the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, with Johnson saying last year he hoped to double that figure.

He revealed last month he would return to the screen for the first time in six years, playing a detective in the TV series Eden.