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Sam Neill, ‘Jurassic Park’ Franchise Star, Dies At 78

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 07: Sam Neill attends the 2025 AACTA Awards Presented By Foxtel Group at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on February 07, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images for AFI)

Getty Images for AFI

Sam Neill, who starred as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park film series, has died.

Neill’s death was announced on the actor’s Instagram page early Monday. He was 78.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” the post reads.

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“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care,” the post continues. “More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”

In April, Neill told Australia’s 7 News that he was cancer-free five years after being diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill told 7 News that his chemotherapy stopped working and he was saved by treatment in a clinical trial.

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Neill played the paleontologist in Grant in three of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic franchise films: Jurassic Park in 1993, Jurassic Park III in 2001 and Jurassic Park: Dominion in 2022. He also voiced Grant in two Jurassic franchise video games.

Among Neill’s recent film roles were cameos as an actor who played Anthony Hopkins’ Odin in director Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok in 2017 and Thor: Love and Thunder in 2022, as well as the action thriller Assassin Club in 2023. Neill also starred as Inspector Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders in the first two seasons of the series in 2013 and 2014.

Neill’s last screen role was in the Australian TV series The Twelve, where he played Brett Colby QC over three seasons from 2022 to 2025. Also in 2025, Neill starred opposite Eric Bana and Rosemarie DeWitt in the Netflix limited crime thriller series Untamed.

Among those who are paying tribute to Neill are Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who wrote in an X post, “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.”

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Sam Neill Compiled More Than 150 Film Credits

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill on Sept. 14, 1947, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Sam Neill relocated with his family to his father’s home country, New Zealand, in the mid-1950s.

Neill’s first screen role was in the 1971 New Zealand TV movie The City of No. Neill’s early film roles included the romantic period drama My Brilliant Career in 1979 and The Final Conflict in 1981, where he played the adult version of The Omen’s Damien. Also in 1981, Neill starred opposite Isabelle Adjani in the classic horror film Possession.

In 1988, Neill starred opposite Meryl Streep in biographical legal drama A Cry in the Dark, which earned Streep a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

Neill’s other film credits over the years included starring roles in The Good Wife, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October, The Piano, In the Mouth of Madness, Event Horizon, The Jungle Book, Snow White: A Tale of Terror, The Horse Whisperer, Bicentennial Man, Yes, Wimbledon, The Vow, Escape Plan, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Blackbird, Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.

According to Neill’s IMDb profile, the actor has a role in the 2027 MonsterVerse movie Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.

In addition to Peaky Blinders, Neill’s television credits over his five decades-plus career included roles in several series, miniseries and TV movies, including Amerika, Merlin, Doctor Zhivago, The Tudors, Crusoe, Alcatraz, And Then There Were None, Invasion and Apples Never Fall.

Neill was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards during his career, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Merlin in 1998, and for Outstanding Narrator for the miniseries New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands in 2017.

Neill is survived by his sons Andrew and Tim, daughter Elena and six grandchildren.