Actor Sam Neill, best known for playing paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” died in Sydney, Australia, on Monday. He was 78.
His family described the death as “sudden and unexpected,” coming just months after the New Zealand-born star announced he was cancer-free following years of treatment for lymphoma.
“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 family said in a statement, using the Maori word for family. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
The statement did not disclose a cause of death but confirmed Neill had been receiving treatment at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney. He was surrounded by family when he died.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to the actor, calling him “one of the greats” who spent more than fifty years carrying New Zealand’s stories to the world. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also honoured Neill, describing him as someone who held a special place in Australian hearts and who “fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance.”
Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Northern Ireland in 1947, he moved to New Zealand’s South Island as a child and later adopted the name “Sam,” believing it made him less of a target for teasing.
He broke into Hollywood in 1993 with his role as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park,” a part he reprised in two sequels. His other credits include “Peaky Blinders,” “The Hunt for Red October,” Jane Campion’s “The Piano,” and Taika Waititi’s “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”
In a 2023 memoir, Neill revealed he was battling stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma, writing candidly about facing his mortality during chemotherapy. Earlier this year, he announced he was cancer-free after undergoing a genetic therapy that reprogrammed his immune system.
Outside acting, Neill owned and ran vineyards in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.
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