Sam Neill, star of Jurassic Park, dies at 78

Stuart HendersonMon, July 13, 2026 at 6:23 AM UTC

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Sam Neill, the star of the blockbuster Jurassic Park and a multi-decade Hollywood veteran, has died aged 78.

The New Zealand actor, who was best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster dinosaur franchise, died in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.

He also starred as Captain Vasili Borodin in The Hunt for Red October, opposite Sean Connery, and in the TV show Peaky Blinders as the corrupt Maj Chester Campbell.

In Piano, Neill starred alongside Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, playing Alisdair Stewart, a frontiersman who enters an arranged marriage with a fiercely independent, non-verbal woman. The movie won three Oscars in 1994.

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Neill announced in April this year that he was cancer-free after undergoing treatment for stage-three blood cancer.

A statement posted to Instagram read: “It is with immense sadness that the whānau (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. 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.”

"Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a social media post. "He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”