Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill dies aged 78

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has died aged 78, his family has confirmed.

The Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise, died in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.

A statement posted to Instagram read: “It is with immense sadness that the whanau (extended family) 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.”

Neill announced in April 2026 that he was cancer-free after treatment, three years after revealing he was battling a “ferocious” and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The statement added: “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.

“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.”

Born in Omagh, Northern Ireland, to an English mother and New Zealand father, Neill first gained attention for his role in the 1977 thriller, Sleeping Dogs.

His breakthrough came in 1993’s Jurassic Park, a franchise he later returned to in Jurassic Park III and 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.

Neill was also widely acclaimed for his turn as New Zealand settler Alisdair Stewart in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning film, The Piano, as well as Sean Connery thriller The Hunt For Red October, and Taika Waititi’s breakout hit, Hunt For The Wilderpeople.

He also found success on television, playing sadistic, corrupt cop Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders, with further appearances in The Tudors, The Simpsons and Alcatraz.

Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British empire in 1991 for his services to acting and a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in 2006.

After a change to New Zealand’s honours system allowed recipients to convert the DCNZM into a knighthood, Neill accepted the equivalent honour with a redesignation ceremony hosted by New Zealand governor-general, Dame Cindy Kiro, in October 2022.

He became a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led tributes to Neil, writing on X: “Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats. He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of.

“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.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added: “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.”

Neill lived on a farm and winery called Two Paddocks in the Central Otago region of New Zealand.

He established the winery in 1993, next door to his friend, Roger Donaldson, the director of Sleeping Dogs.

Writing on the winery’s website, he said: “I wanted to produce a good pinot noir that would, at the very least, be enjoyed by my family and friends.

“Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn’t seem too hard. To our great surprise, our first vintage in 1997 was much better than we hoped, in spite of a difficult growing season.”

In 2023 he auctioned off items from his personal collection of movie memorabilia, including his famous hat, scarf, jacket and boots from Jurassic Park, to raise funds for Unicef UK.

He wrote his memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? while undergoing treatment for stage three blood cancer, saying it gave him “a reason to live”.

Published: 13/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub