HOLLYWOOD—On Monday, July 13, it was announced that actor Sam Neill, known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Steven Spielberg film “Jurassic Park” has died at the age of 78. His family made the announcement on Sam’s Instagram page.
“It is with immense sadness that the whanau 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,” the statement reads.
Neill was born in Ireland in 1947. He starred in several theater productions of a “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in college. He appeared in his first TV movie in Ireland in 1971 with “The City of No.” His first Hollywood film was the 1981 horror flick, “The Omen III: The Final Conflict,” where he portrayed the role of Damien Thorn, the son of the devil.
He had a breakout role as Dr. Alan Grant in the adventure flick “Jurassic Park.” He appeared in the sequels “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park III.” His last appearance in the franchise was the film, “Jurassic World Dominion” alongside Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Laura Dern.
Other notable film roles include “The Hunt for the Red October,” “The Piano,” “Event Horizon,” “Bicentennial Man,” “Daybreakers,” “The Vow,” “Thor: Ragnarök,” “Peter Rabbit,” “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “Peter Rabbit 2: “The Runaway.” His TV appearances include “Merlin,” “The Tudors,” “Peaky Blinders,” and recently “Untamed.”
He married actress Lisa Harrow in 1980 where they had one son. He later married make-up artist Noriko Watanabe in 1989, and they share one daughter together, he also adopted Watanabe’s daughter from her previous marriage. The couple separated in 2017, and he later dated Australian journalist Laura Tingle for 3 years (2018-2021).
In March 2023, the actor revealed he was battling blood cancer and that his cancer was in remissions after undergoing chemotherapy. An official cause of death for the actor has not been disclosed to the public.
