'One of the greats': Sam Neill, star of the Jurassic Park films, dies aged 78

LAST UPDATE | 18 hrs ago

SAM NEILL, THE New Zealand actor best known for his starring roles in the Jurassic Park film series, has died.

He was 78 years old. The news was confirmed in a statement on his social media accounts this morning. 

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 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, the statement added.

The actor had revealed in a 2023 memoir he was “possibly dying” with stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma – though in April this year, Neill confirmed that he was cancer-free after five years of living with the disease.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led tributes to Neill, writing on X that he was “one of the greats”.

“He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of,” said Luxon.

“For more than 50 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. His work will be watched and loved long after all of us.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to the actor and said: “Sam Neill starred 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.”

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meanwhile remarked that it was “just a few weeks ago that I had the profound joy of sitting with Sam Neill, talking about life, politics, and home”.

“He was such a thoughtful, curious and decent person,” said Ardern.

“Someone who was principled, unafraid of speaking his mind, and willing to take up a fight when he saw injustice. He was also an artist, and anyone who watched him perform knew he was someone special.”

Richard E Grant, his Palm Beach co-star, described Neill as an “officer and a gentleman in the truest sense” who “helped me through a very difficult time in my life”.

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Kylie Minogue paid tribute, posting “vale Sam” under the announcement of his death on Instagram.

Born in Northern Ireland to an English mother and a New Zealand father, Neill moved to Christchurch with his family in 1954.

After some small roles on local television, his breakout role was in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs.

He went on to star in Possession, The Hunt For Red October, The Piano, and Event Horizon.

He came to international prominence as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, a role he reprised in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion.

He later starred in Taika Waititi’s breakout hit, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Neill also worked in television, playing the corrupt Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders opposite Cillian Murphy.

Speaking to the ABC’s Australian Story in 2023 following his cancer diagnosis, Neill said it would be “irritating” if he died as he had so many more life plans.

“I’m not in any way frightened of dying. It’s never worried me from the beginning. But I would be annoyed. I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying. But I’m not afraid of it,” he said.

He also said: “One of the things I’ve learned, which I probably knew already, is how important it is to live in the moment.

“I’m not an introspective person. I don’t look back with any great eagerness, but I was forced to look back and take an evaluation of my life.

“We all have regrets, but I think I can live with myself and I can die by myself OK. Gee, how’d I get to that.”

Neill most recently starred in TV series The Twelve, Apples Never Fall and Untamed, with two films he appeared in set to be released next year – Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort.

He leaves four children and eight grandchildren.

-With additional reporting from Press Association

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