Sam Neill rose to worldwide fame in 1993 for his role as Dr. Alan Grant. But he also appeared in many other TV series and movies.
New Zealand actor Sam Neill has died at the age of 78.On hisofficial Instagram account, the family is asking his fans for the privacy they need to come to terms with his passing. Neill’s family does not wish to discuss the exact cause of death at this time:
It is with great sadness that Sam Neill’s whānau [“family”—Ed.] 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. His passing was sudden and unexpected, but the family finds 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.
Sam Neill is survived by his three biological children, a stepdaughter, and his two ex-wives, Lisa Harrow and Noriko Watanabe.
In March 2023, Neill publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with leukemia (non-Hodgkin lymphoma). In an interview withThe Guardian, he spoke very openly about death and said he was not afraid of it. It wasn’t until April 2026, after a years-long battle with cancer, that he announced he was officially cancer-free.
A Cult Actor Leaves Us
Many of you know Sam Neillas paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.About 29 years later, the then 74-year-old reprised his iconic role in Jurassic World: A New Era alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Before the worldwide fame of *Jurassic Park*, Neill had already appeared in numerous classics such as *The Hunt for Red October* and *The Piano*. He also starred in popular series like *The Tudors* (as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey) and *Peaky Blinders* (as Chester Campbell).
His most recent projects include the Netflix series *Untamed* (2025) and his role as Odin in *Thor: Love and Thunder* (2022). In 2023, he starred alongside Christoph Waltz and Patrick Gibson in the Australian fantasy adventure film *The Portable Door*.
Next year, Sam Neill will also appear in the Filipino rom-com Godzilla X Kong: Supernova(Theatrical release: March 25, 2027).
Because even we are often at a loss for words when faced with such sad news, we’ll close this article with a famous quote from Neill’s character Dr. Alan Grant in *Jurassic Park*, which could hardly be more fitting: “The world is changing so fast that we have to run just to keep up.”
If you’d like, feel free to tell us about your favorite roles played by Neill in the comments. But only if you feel like it.
