JUST IN: Jurassic Park star Sam Neill dies at 78

Veteran New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park film franchise, has died at the age of 78.

Neill died on Monday in Sydney, Australia, according to a statement released by his family, who described his passing as sudden and unexpected. They added that the actor had remained cancer-free following treatment for lymphoma.

“It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney, Australia,” the family said, adding that he died peacefully while surrounded by loved ones at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney.

Tributes poured in from New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who described Neill as “one of the greats”, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the actor would be remembered for his dignity, humour and outstanding performances.

Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and began acting in the early 1970s before achieving international fame.

His breakthrough came in 1993 with Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. He later starred in The Hunt for Red October, The Piano, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Peaky Blinders and other acclaimed productions.

Neill revealed in 2023 that he had stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma but announced earlier this year that he was cancer-free after undergoing genetic therapy.

Away from acting, he also owned and operated vineyards in New Zealand’s Central Otago region, where he spent much of his time when not filming.