Sir Sam Neill, the New Zealand icon best known for playing palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise, has died aged 78.
News of the actor’s death was confirmed by his family in a statement shared on social media on Monday.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the statement read.
“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.”
Born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, Neill built a career spanning more than five decades across film and television.
He first gained international recognition with My Brilliant Career (1979) before appearing in films including Omen III: The Final Conflict, Dead Calm, The Hunt for Red October and Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning drama The Piano.
He achieved global fame in 1993 as Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, reprising the role in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
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Neill revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with stage-three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, though he later said he was in remission after undergoing treatment.
Earlier this year, he shared that CAR T-cell therapy had left him cancer free following a clinical trial in Australia.
More details to follow
