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[CULTURE] · Australia, New Zealand · 100 sources

Sam Neill, Jurassic Park Star, Dies at 78

New Zealand‑born actor Sam Neill died on 13 July 2026 in Sydney, Australia, at age 78. His family announced the loss as “sudden and unexpected,” saying he was surrounded by loved ones and passed with the dignity that marked his life. The statement thanked the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital and noted that Neill had remained cancer‑free after a battle with a rare blood cancer diagnosed in 2022.

Neill was best known for his role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequels, a performance that made him an international icon. His five‑decade career also included acclaimed films such as The Piano, The Hunt for Red October, and television work like Peaky Blinders. He was knighted in New Zealand and received honors in the UK and Australia.

Tributes poured in from colleagues and friends, including Laura Dern, Steven Spielberg, Cillian Murphy and many others, who remembered him as a kind, witty and generous person and a distinguished actor whose work will endure.

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