Sam Neill, Indelible Star of Jurassic Park, Dead at 78

Sam Neill, whose portrayal of the brilliant paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park helped define a generation of cinematic adventure, has died at the age of 78.

According to his family, Neill passed away on Monday, July 13th, in Sydney, Australia. “He 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,” he family added.

Neill had previously been treated for stage-three blood cancer, but announced in April 2026 that he was cancer free.

Born in Northern Ireland and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, Neill’s other notable film roles included Event Horizon, Peter Rabbit, The Hunt for Red October, and Bicentennial Man. He also played an Asgardian actor portraying Odin in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder.

Neill also had an extensive television career, appearing in the miniseries Merlin, for which he received an Emmy nomination, as well as The Tudors and Peaky Blinders.

However, Neill will be best remembered for his role in the Jurassic Park franchise. He first starred as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original and went on to portray the character twice more on film — in 2001’s Jurassic Park III and 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion — as well as in video games and even a Super Bowl commercial.