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In 1993, Sam Neill became known to an audience of millions as the paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park."
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Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. The New Zealand actor became world-famous for his roles in the various "Jurassic Park" movies and in the TV series "Peaky Blinders."
Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. According to his family, the New Zealand actor died on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia.
"Sam was surrounded by his family and passed away with the dignity that characterized his entire life," reads the statement on the actor's actor’s Instagram channel.
“It is with great sadness that Sam Neill’s whānau (Editor’s note: “family” in the Māori language) announces that he passed away on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia. Sam was surrounded by his family and passed away with the dignity that characterized his entire life.”
He continued: “The loss was sudden and unexpected, but we take comfort in the fact that Sam remained cancer-free. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St. Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. Further details will be announced at a later date, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they come to terms with this immeasurable loss.”
Actor Neill rose to fame in 1993 as the paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's movie "Jurassic Park." The role made him a global star and remained closely associated with his name until the very end.
He also reprised the role in *Jurassic Park III* and *Jurassic World: Dominion*. Younger audiences may know him from his portrayal of Major Campbell in the TV series *Peaky Blinders*.
Last April, Sam Neill announced that he had won his nearly five-year battle against blood cancer. After chemotherapy had stopped working, an innovative CAR-T cell therapy turned the tide—and most recently, no cancer was detectable in his body.
The "Jurassic Park" star said at the time that he wanted to return to making movies and also wanted to advocate for making treatment more accessible to those affected.