Sam Neill, Star of Jurassic Park, Dies at 78

Sam Neill is dead. The New Zealand actor who played Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park died Monday in Sydney, Australia. He was 78 years old.
His family posted a statement to his Instagram account. “It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing,” the statement read. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
No cause of death was given. Neill had battled a rare and aggressive blood cancer for years but announced in April that he was cancer free after participating in an Australian clinical trial. He died at St. Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney, surrounded by family.

Who He Was

Neill was born in Northern Ireland in 1947 and moved to New Zealand as a child. He spent more than five decades working in film and television, appearing in over 150 productions.
Most people know him as Dr. Alan Grant — the paleontologist who ran from dinosaurs in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. He reprised that role in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion. But his career went far beyond dinosaurs. He played a Soviet submarine officer in The Hunt for Red October, a British spy in Plenty, a villain in Peaky Blinders, and a grieving father in Hunt for the Wilderpeople — a film that introduced him to a new generation of fans. He was also in The Piano, for which he received widespread acclaim.
In 2022, New Zealand knighted him. He accepted, though he had previously declined the honor, saying the title of “Sir” was “just far too grand, by far.”

What People Said

Steven Spielberg released a statement Monday. “Sam Neill will never be forgotten,” he said.
Laura Dern, his Jurassic Park co-star, called him “a beloved lifetime friend” and “a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man.”
Nicole Kidman, who starred with Neill in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm, said: “Sam was one of the greatest. I met him when I was 18 and he took care of me as a mentor and we were lifelong friends. He was immensely charming, kind, funny and intelligent.”
Toni Collette, who worked with him on two films, posted on Instagram: “My friend Sam passed away this morning. He was a wonderful actor and a truly beautiful and decent man. He had a dry, hilarious wit and a giant heart.”
Karl Urban, a fellow New Zealand actor, called Neill “an inspiration for many who followed in his trailblazing footsteps. A beautiful man. A national treasure.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill had “earned a special place in Australian hearts.” He added: “Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humor and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.”

The Cancer Fight

In March 2023, Neill revealed he had been diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer while filming Jurassic World Dominion. He underwent chemotherapy for years. When that stopped working, he tried an experimental CAR T-cell therapy as part of an Australian clinical trial. In April, he announced the treatment had worked. There was no cancer in his body.
Three months later, he was gone.
He had written in his 2023 memoir: “I’d really like another decade or two.”
Sam Neill was 78.
Source: CNN, TMZ, Variety, NBC News, Washington Post, Wikipedia