'Hero, legend, sweetheart'
Tributes to Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill, who died aged 78
Photo: Reuters.
Tributes have been paid to actor Sam Neill, famed for his starring role in Jurassic Park, following his death at the age of 78.
The news was announced by his family, who said his death in Sydney, Australia, on Monday 13 July was "sudden and unexpected". He died "surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life", a statement said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described him as "one of the greats", while Australian actress Toni Collette wrote: "I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much."
Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947, he moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, with his family as a child. He adopted the name Sam at the age of 12 because there were several Nigels at his school. He began acting while studying at the University of Canterbury and made his film debut in 1971's The City of No.
After a number of television and film roles in New Zealand, he gained wider recognition in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, one of the country's first films to achieve international distribution. He later moved to Australia, where he starred in My Brilliant Career (1979), a film that helped establish him as a leading actor.
Neill achieved global fame in 1993 through his performances in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning The Piano and as palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. He reprised the role in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion. He also appeared in The Hunt for Red October, Dead Calm, Event Horizon and the BBC TV drama Peaky Blinders.
In March 2023, Neill revealed he had been undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. He later said the disease was in remission but he would require monthly chemotherapy for the rest of his life. In April 2026, Neill said a scan showed no cancer in his body, and his family's statement confirmed he "remained cancer free" at the time of his death.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, he amassed more than He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 and accepted a knighthood in 2022.
In his 2023 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, he revealed details of his cancer diagnosis and treatment. "I'm not afraid of dying," he told the BBC at the time. "What I don't want to do is to stop living, because I really enjoy living."
Laura Dern, who starred alongside Neill in Jurassic Park, described him as "my beloved lifetime friend". "He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit," she said. "I will love you forever, Dr Alan Grant."
Director Steven Spielberg told Variety he "adored" making the franchise with Neill. "Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our 'Jurassic' family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world," he said.
In his tribute, 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." Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote that Neill "starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts".
Sir Sam Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
