Sam Neill, the actor known for playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 78.
In a statement posted on Instagram on Monday, the actor’s family said his death was “sudden and unexpected.”
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” his family wrote.
“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.
His family said that “more details will be shared later” but for now, they are asking fans to “respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”
In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
In April of this year, Neill announced he was cancer-free.
“I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me alive,” he told Australian network 7news.
He said that after the chemotherapy stopped working, he was “at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.”
After undergoing a treatment that genetically modifies blood cells, Neill said he was free of cancer.
“I’ve just had a scan just now and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing,” he said. “I’m very, very excited that this can happen.”
Neill was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand.
He played opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the Alan Ayckbourn comedy Sweet Revenge, a jealous husband who chops off his wife’s finger, played by Holly Hunter, in The Piano, and poked his own eyes out in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon.
In Omen III: The Final Conflict, he played Damien the Antichrist. He also starred as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors.
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The actor caught the attention of international audiences in Gillian Armstrong’s 1979 film, My Brilliant Career, which also introduced Judy Davis. He later appeared in Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm, a thriller set at sea and co-starring Nicole Kidman.
Neill also co-starred with Meryl Streep in Plenty and again in A Cry in the Dark, a film about the aftermath of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback.
He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in his role in the 1998 miniseries Merlin and another as narrator of 2017’s Wild New Zealand.
Neill was best-known for playing paleontologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park. He co-starred alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.
While Grant survived the harrowing events when the dinosaurs got loose, he didn’t return for The Lost World: Jurassic Park II in 1997. He came back for the third film in 2001 and Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022.
Neill also starred in Peaky Blinders alongside Cillian Murphy as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell.
The unexpected news of Neill’s death was met with shock around the world.
On X, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called Neill “one of the greats.”
“He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today — one of our greatest cultural exports,” Luxon added. “His work will be watched and loved long after all of us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill appeared in “so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.”
“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace,” Albanese wrote.
Australian actor Toni Collette wrote, “I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You Legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much.”
Actor Richard E. Grant posted a tribute to Neill on Instagram, writing, “Knew @samneilltheprop for 3 decades and finally worked with him on PALM BEACH in 2018. An officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense. Guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my Life. Pictured beside producer @deb_bal & @ladyheathermitchell . Sail on, kind Sir.”
Jurassic World Dominion director Colin Trevorrow called Neill “a deeply soulful and beautiful man.”
“He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I’ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful,” Trevorrow added.
Universal Pictures posted a tribute to Neill on X, writing, “Rest in peace to our Jurassic legend, Sam Neill.”
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
—With files from The Associated Press
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