Tributes are pouring in for Sam Neill, the Jurassic Park actor who has died, aged 78.
The film star’s death was announced by his family on Monday (13 July), who called “the loss sudden and unexpected”.
They added that Neill, who was cancer-free after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in March 2022, “was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.
Neill had roles in Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October and Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning drama The Piano before starring as Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film Jurassic Park, reprising the role in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
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Sam Neill’s best hidden gem film?
A Sam Neill film that not nearly enough people talk about is Wim Wenders’ 1991 science-fiction epic Until the End of the World.
The film, set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world-changing catastrophe, follows a man and woman as they are pursued across the globe, in a plot involving a device that can record visual experiences and visualise dreams.
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 08:30
Sam Neill – a life in pictures
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 08:20
Our interview with Sam Neill
Sam Neill displayed mischievous charm when The Independent interviewed him in 2020 during lockdown. Read the full piece here:
Sam Neill: ‘When you become nostalgic for George W Bush, you know the planet’s in trouble’
The ‘Jurassic Park’ star has been entertaining the masses during lockdown with his ukulele playing and ‘Cinema Quarantino Productions’. He talks to Alexandra Pollard about his new role on season two of ‘Flack’, switching off the news, and why he trusts experts over clownsJacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 08:10
Sam Neill blamed Jurassic Park accent on Steven Spielberg
When Sam Neill was cast as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park, the character was supposed to be American.
But on the first day of shooting, Neill, who had spent a month perfecting the accent, was instructed by Spielberg to ditch it in favour of his own New Zealand voice.
“He came up to me halfway through the day and he said, ‘Hey, Sam, you know the accent we were talking about?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been working on it for four weeks.…’ He said, ‘Don’t worry about it, just use your own voice,’” Neill told Vanity Fair.
“I said, ‘That’s great, Steven, thank you so much.’ And then four days later, he came up to me and said, ‘You know that voice you’re using now?’ I said, ‘Yeah, my voice?’ He said, ‘Somewhere in between.’
“It’s an actor’s nightmare!” Neill said. “So that’s why I get a lot of flak to this day: Sam Neill’s American accent in Jurassic Park was a load of T-rex poo.”
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:58
Sam Neill named his animals after celebrities
As well as being a film star, Sam Neill owned a farm and vineyard called Two Paddocks in Central Otago, New Zealand – and its residents were named after fellow famous people.
He had pigs called Angelica Huston and Imogen Poots, a rooster named Michael Fassbender and his cow was called Helena Bonham Carter.
He also renamed his bull Graham Norton after initially crowning him James Nesbitt, and named his sheep Susan Sarandon and one of his chickens Meryl Streep.
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:53
How Sam Neill became lockdown court jester
For the amusement of his half a million X/Twitter followers, Sam Neill enjoyed “making an idiot of myself on social media” during the pandemic.
He regularly posted kooky videos, which saw him playing “Uptown Funk” on the ukulele, painting “post-postmodernist” portraits of Stephen Fry, reading Dr Seuss stories, making spoof movie trailers, setting his garden gnome up on a date and showing off his fridge magnet collection;
“People need a bit of cheering up, you know? They’re sort of miserable,” Neill told The Independent in 2020.
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:43
Australian PM: ‘Sam Neill earned special place in Australian hearts’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the tributes for the Jurassic Park actor.
“Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts,” he wrote on X/Twitter.
“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.”
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:39
Sam Neill said dying would be ‘annoying’ – not scary
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2022, Sam Neill declared he wasn’t “afraid to die” – but said it would “annoy him”.
“Because I’d really like another decade or two, you know?” the New Zealand actor told The Guardian.
“We’ve built all these lovely terraces, we’ve got these olive trees and cypresses, and I want to be around to see it all mature. And I’ve got my lovely little grandchildren. I want to see them get big.”
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:37
Sam Neill was cancer-free after 2022 diagnosis
The actor was cancer-free when he died, according to his family.
Neill was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in March 2022.
“I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me alive,” he said. “Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal, obviously.”
However, he claimed his condition started to change after he discovered CAR T-cell therapy, which is reportedly a treatment that “genetically modifies patients’ blood cells” and is only being used in clinical trials in Australia.
“I’ve had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body. This is an extraordinary thing,” Neill revealed.
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:36
‘Jurassic Park’ star’s death called ‘sudden and unexpected’
Sam Neill’s family shared a statement reading: “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 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.”
Jacob Stolworthy13 July 2026 07:30NewerOlder