Sam Neill, Jurassic Park And Peaky Blinders Star, Dies Aged 78

Screen legend Sam Neill has died at the age of 78.

The New Zealand-born actor was known for his work as Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster Jurassic Park, more recently reprising the role in a 2022 sequel and numerous video games.

He also received acclaim for his performances in films like The Piano and The Hunt For Red October, The Piano and Event Horizon.

On the small screen, he played the title role in the 90s series Merlin, Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in The Tudors and Victor Komarovsky in Doctor Zhivago.

He was also nominated for an Emmy for his narration on the series New Zealand: Earth’s Mythical Islands in the 2010s.

Sam’s death was confirmed by his family on Monday morning in a post on his official Instagram page.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney Australia,” the post read.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”

The actor’s death was described as “sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free”.

Back in 2023, Sam disclosed that he had been undergoing chemotherapy, after being diagnosed with blood cancer a year earlier.

After sharing that his cancer was in remission, he said that he would require monthly treatment to ensure that the disease didn’t return.

In April of this year, he confirmed that he was still cancer-free, and was part of a clinical trial for a new type of treatment for the disease in Australia.

Sam’s recent acting work included the Australian series The Twelve, and the miniseries Apples Never Fall and Untamed, as well as the Marvel movie Thor: Love And Thunder.

He’s also lent his voice to the upcoming dark comedy The Fox, and will make posthumous appearances in the romantic comedy The Last Resort and the monster movie Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.

The Guardian has reported that Sam is survived by his four children and six grandchildren.