“Jurassic Park” star Sam Neill has passed away in Australia at the age of 78, with his family describing his death on Monday as “sudden and unexpected”.
The New Zealand actor had been treated for lymphoma in recent years but had announced earlier this year that he was cancer-free.
Announcing his passing, his family said, “It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement read, using the New Zealand Maori word for family.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free.”
The statement however did not provide details on the cause of Neill’s death, but said he had been undergoing treatment at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” the statement said.
Reacting to the development, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Sam Neill was “one of the greats”.
Luxon said, “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.”
“His work will be watched and loved long after all of us.”
Also reacting to the sad development, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Neill held a “special place in Australian hearts”.
He said, “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”
Sam Neill
Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill moved to the rugged South Island of New Zealand as a young child. Originally named Nigel John Dermot, he adopted the name “Sam” because he felt his birth name sounded too “effete” for his new home.
Neill began his acting career in New Zealand films during the early 1970s before securing larger roles in Australia. His global breakthrough came in 1993, when he starred as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood blockbuster “Jurassic Park.” Over a prolific career spanning dozens of film and television roles, he also starred in “The Hunt for Red October,” “Peaky Blinders,” and returned for two “Jurassic Park” sequels.
Additionally, his performance in Jane Campion’s “The Piano” drew wide acclaim, as did his role in Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”. The actor featured in over 70 movies during his career.
Meanwhile Sam Neill revealed in a 2023 memoir he was “possibly dying” with stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Sam Neill’s death marks the end of a remarkable acting career that spanned more than five decades and made him one of New Zealand’s most celebrated screen stars.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking films in cinematic history. Released in 1993 and directed by Steven Spielberg, the science fiction adventure was adapted from Michael Crichton’s bestselling novel of the same name.
The film follows a group of scientists and visitors who become trapped on a remote island after cloned dinosaurs escape from a state-of-the-art wildlife park. Combining revolutionary computer-generated imagery (CGI) with lifelike animatronics, Jurassic Park redefined visual effects in Hollywood and became the highest-grossing film of its time, winning three Academy Awards while launching one of the world’s most successful movie franchises.
The film’s enormous success spawned multiple sequels, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), and the rebooted Jurassic World trilogy, which introduced a new generation of audiences to the franchise.
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