Actor Sam Neill, known for Jurassic Park, dies at 78

Sam Neill died on Monday at the age of 78, his family announced via his official social media account. The statement said he was surrounded by family and died with dignity, noting that he had been cancer-free at the time of his death.

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill on Sept. 14, 1947, in Omagh, Northern Ireland, he moved to New Zealand at age seven and began acting while studying at the University of Canterbury. He made his screen debut in the 1971 New Zealand television film "The City of No" and gained early recognition with the lead role in the 1977 film "Sleeping Dogs." He later appeared in Australian productions before securing his first international role in "Omen III: The Final Conflict" (1981).

Neill is best remembered for portraying paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster "Jurassic Park," a role he reprised in two sequels and the 2022 film "Jurassic World Dominion." In a 2022 interview he described the character as "like an old comfortable pair of boots," adding that the franchise's lasting cultural impact had surprised him.

His later work included parts in "Bicentennial Man," "Event Horizon," the TV series "Merlin" and "The Tudors," as well as cameo appearances in the Marvel films "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Thor: Love and Thunder" and voice work in "Peter Rabbit." He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 and received a knighthood in the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.

Neill publicly disclosed a diagnosis of stage 3 blood cancer in 2022 and underwent chemotherapy, later reporting that he was cancer-free. He was survived by his children, Elena Neill and Tim Neill. The family thanked staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney for their care and asked for privacy during their mourning.