SYDNEY, Australia — Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor who became internationally recognised as the palaeontologist Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park” while building a career across film and television, died on Monday in Sydney. He was 78.
His family announced his death in a statement published on his Instagram account.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing,” the statement said, using a Māori word referring to family or a wider community.
The statement described his death on Monday, July 13, 2026, as unexpected. Neill had previously received treatment for a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, but announced in April that he was cancer free.
“The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free,” his family said.
Relatives were with Neill before his death, according to the statement, which also thanked those who cared for him at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” the statement said. “The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.”
The family said it would release further information later and requested privacy.
A Career Across Genres
Neill spent more than five decades working in cinema and television, moving between major Hollywood productions, independent films, period dramas and crime series.
His best-known role came in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film “Jurassic Park,” in which he played Dr. Alan Grant, a scientist brought to an island populated by genetically recreated dinosaurs.
The performance became closely associated with Neill throughout the rest of his career.
He returned to the character in later entries in the franchise, including “Jurassic Park III” and “Jurassic World Dominion.”
Neill also appeared in “Dead Calm,” the Oscar-winning film “The Piano” and the British television drama “Peaky Blinders,” in which he played Inspector Chester Campbell opposite Cillian Murphy.
Despite the prominence of those roles, Neill often spoke about his career as an outcome he had neither planned nor expected.
“It’s been a very happy, surprising life,” he told CNN in 2023, during the 30th anniversary of the release of “Jurassic Park.”
“I never expected to have a career in film at all, or even as an actor. But it kind of happened, and no one’s more surprised than me.”
Laura Dern, who appeared alongside Neill in “Jurassic Park,” remembered him on Monday as both a close friend and a valued screen partner.
Dern called Neill a “beloved lifetime friend” and “a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man.”
“I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant,” she said.
Karl Urban, a fellow New Zealand actor, described Neill as “an inspiration for many who followed in his trailblazing footsteps.”
“A beautiful man, A national treasure who gave so much to New Zealand and to the world,” Urban said.
From Northern Ireland to New Zealand
Neill was born in Northern Ireland but spent most of his childhood and adult life in New Zealand. His family relocated to the South Island when he was 7.
His work was recognised by both the British and New Zealand honours systems.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 and received a New Zealand knighthood in 2022.
The New Zealand film industry presented him with its Screen Legend Award in 2025. Neill responded to the honour by suggesting that longevity, rather than any grand strategy, had brought him to the stage.
“If you stick around long enough, you probably, you know, qualify, and I’ve been just sort of sticking around,” he said.
Neill’s life away from acting was centred largely on his farm in New Zealand. The animals he kept there frequently appeared on his social-media pages, where he gave many of them the names of actors and other friends.
The practice sometimes produced stories that combined his affection for the animals with his dry sense of humour.
“I love to name as many of my animals as possible after my friends,” Neill told Vulture in 2019.
“It doesn’t always end well. Meryl Streep was killed by a ferret recently. I found her as a pile of feathers one day.”
He also campaigned on environmental issues.
In early 2026, Neill released a short documentary opposing plans for an industrial gold mine that was being considered under a fast-track process in the Central Otago region.
That part of New Zealand was also the base of Two Paddocks, the organic winery he established in 1993.
Neill said his original objective was to make a pinot noir that could be shared with relatives and friends.
“Frankly, my friends will pretty much drink anything, so this didn’t seem too hard,” he said, according to the winery’s website.
Cancer Treatment and a Memoir
Neill disclosed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
The diagnosis followed the discovery of swollen glands while he was involved in promotional work for “Jurassic World Dominion.” He subsequently underwent chemotherapy.
While receiving treatment in 2022, Neill wrote his memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?” He completed the book within several months.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2024, Neill said he did not fear death, although he disliked the prospect of leaving unfinished work and experiences behind.
“I’m not in any way frightened of dying,” he said. “I’d be annoyed because there are things I still want to do. Very irritating, dying, but I’m not afraid of it.”
Neill occasionally described the structure of his family as “somewhat haphazard,” attributing that complexity partly to the extensive travel required by his acting career.
He was the father of four children. He and the actress Lisa Harrow had a son, Tim. He later had a daughter, Elena, with Noriko Watanabe and adopted Maiko, Watanabe’s daughter from an earlier marriage.
Neill also reunited later in life with Andrew, a son who had been placed with adoptive parents.
His family included several grandchildren.
