Sad news arrived today as the world learned of the passing of Jurassic Park leading actor Sam Neill, who passed away surrounded by close family after a battle with blood cancer. He was 78, and leaves behind an enviable body of work that includes Dead Calm, In The Mouth Of Madness, The Hunt For Red October, the Oscar winning The Piano, and Event Horizon, amongst many others.
Born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland on 14th September 1947, Sir Nigel John Dermot Neill moved with his family to Christchurch in New Zealand in 1954, and from there appearances in several university productions gave him the acting bug, igniting a career which began with work on the stage, televisoon and soon an international career that saw his role as Damien in Omen III: The Final Conflict lead to role after role. Missing out on the role of James Bond to Timothy Dalton left the door open for Neill to instead later step into the age of the dinosaurs and Jurassic Park, the film which was not only one of the top three hits of the 1990’s, but secured his spot as a leading man for the rest of his career.
Australian pop superstar Kylie Minogue responded to the announcement of Neill’s death with “Vale [goodbye] Sam” alongside a broken heart emoji.
British actor Richard E Grant wrote, external that he knew his fellow actor for three decades, saying Neill had “guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life”, and describing him as “an officer and a gentleman in the truest sense”.
Also paying tribute, Colin Trevorrow, external, who directed Neill in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, described him as “a deeply soulful and beautiful man”.
“He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength,” he said.
“I’ll remember him for his tranquillity, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend.”
Joe Cole, external, Neill’s co-star in Peaky Blinders, posted: “Rest in peace big dog.”
Daisy Ridley, external, who is set to star alongside Neill in the not-yet-released film The Last Resort, posted a picture of herself with Neill on her Instagram story alongside three broken heart emojis.
Neill was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1991 for services to acting. He was later made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2007 and accepted a knighthood in 2022 after changes to New Zealand’s honours system allowed recipients to adopt titular honours.
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Renowned for his dry humour and skill as an actor, his always welcome presence will be missed by all, and to his family, friends, colleagues and fans we share our deepest condolences.