The actor Sam Neill, known for his roles in the Jurassic Park films, has died aged 78
His family says "the loss was sudden and unexpected", adding he died in Sydney "surrounded by family, and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life"
In 2023, Neill said he had been diagnosed with cancer, but in April this year revealed he was cancer free
Neill was born in Northern Ireland and moved to New Zealand when he was seven – he later played a Belfast police chief in Peaky Blinders
He played Dr Alan Grant in the first Jurassic Park in 1993, and in later films in the franchise. He was also well known for The Piano, The Hunt For Red October and Event Horizon – here's a gallery of his best-known roles
He also auditioned for James Bond, but told the BBC he was glad not to get the role: "If you're a Bond you're a celebrity forever – and I'm not and never have been and never wanted to be a celebrity"
Neill was nervous about his stutter when I interviewed him on TV, writes Lucy Hockings – but he was generous, funny and without affectation
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Edited by Andrew Humphrey
Sam Neill would regularly post pictures of himself with his animals – many named after celebrities – on his social media
Away from his international career, press tours and film premieres, one of Sam Neill's favourite places to be was his New Zealand farm Two Paddocks, where he reared animals and grew grapes for wine.
"I've got lots of animals and I do give them names," he told Graham Norton on an appearance on his chat show in 2016.
He said one of the reason's he names them is protect them against getting eaten: "If you name a chicken Meryl Streep… you cannot eat Meryl Streep."
Describing an image of two sheep on the show, Neill said: "That's Susan Sarandon and Anjelica Huston, and they adore me."
Referring to an image of a bunch of cows, Neill adds: "That's Helena Bonham Carter, with the horns, she's a real cow", adding the small cow pictured next to her was named Graham Norton.
"Helena Bonham-Carter is Graham Norton's mother," said Neill, adding that James Nesbitt was Norton's father.
Australian actress Teresa Palmer has paid tribute to Sam Neil in a post on Instagram.
The two starred in the 2019 film Ride Like A Girl which follows the story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. Palmer played Michelle, and Neil her father.
In the post she writes that she is "absolutely shattered" to hear the news.
"Beautiful Sam… you made me laugh harder than just about anyone. I loved every story you told – especially about your pig and your farm, and the incredible adventures you’d somehow always find yourself on. You squeezed every bit out of life and knew how to truly LIVE it, always with that cheeky grin.
"Thank you for always calling me 'kiddo'. Despite having five of my own kiddos, it always made me feel so young. What a joy it was to get to pretend to be your kid on screen.
"This is such a heartbreaking loss for our film industry, for your family, your friends, and everyone whose life you touched – all the countless people across the globe that you made an imprint on.
"Sending so much love to everyone who knew and loved you. Rest easy, beautiful soul."
Calum Watson
BBC Scotland News
TS Queen Mary in 1951
While Sam Neill is best known for his acting, he also had an unlikely connection with efforts to restore a much-loved Scottish steamship.
He was persuaded to become a co-patron of the Friends of TS Queen Mary charity by his friend and fellow actor, the late Robbie Coltrane, who was a steamship and marine engineering enthusiast.
TS Queen Mary launched on the Clyde in 1933 and is the last surviving example of a Clyde-built excursion ship from the age of steam turbine technology.
After being retired from service in 1977 the ship became a floating restaurant in London for a time until it was saved from the breakers yard and returned to the Clyde in 2015, where it is currently moored near Glasgow’s Science Centre.
Neill recorded a video for the ship’s 90th birthday three years ago in which he spoke both of his commitment to the restoration project, but also of his sadness at the loss of Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter films and had died a few months earlier.
TS Queen Mary pictured today, moored near Glasgow's Science Centre
BBC show Peaky Blinders has posted a tribute to Sam Neill – who starred in the show's first two seasons.
"We are devastated to hear that Sam Neill has died," reads the statement published on the show's Instagram page.
"Sam's portrayal of Chester Campbell is one for the ages," it continues.
"A villain who is despicable, petty, manipulative, but also charismatic, vulnerable, funny and supremely entertaining to watch.
"Sam was one of the key forces that got Peaky Blinders off to a running start, for which we will be forever grateful. Our love and thoughts are with his family."
Madeleine Lake
Live reporter
Sam Neill as Dr Alan Grant takes on a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a scene from Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park brought not just stardom to Sam Neill, but a fresh take on dinosaur movies. And while they are based on the prehistoric creatures, the franchise is far from extinct.
Since its premiere in 1993 there has been an animated television series, comics, videogames, and seven films – three of which starred Neill.
It all started with an adaptation of the best selling novel by Michael Crichton, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
Audiences were captivated with Spielberg's use a combination of computer generated images (CGI) and practical animatronics that brought dinosaurs and people together. It evoked a childlike wonder and curiosity of these creatures.
In an interview on the Jess Cagle show, Neill said the film works well because it can make you feel like you can "almost touch" the dinosaurs.
Jurassic Park was described as "Jaws with claws", both films having been directed by Steven Spielberg, seen here posing between a pair of giant dinosaur feet in a publicity still for the film
"When you see a dinosaur it is sometimes computer generated and sometimes it's this real thing that's right in your face."
He added that a lot of the horror also came from the things you don't see.
"For me the scariest moment is when we are stuck in the vans, and the goat has been eaten, something terrible is afoot and you can hear something walking around, what is that thing going to be?"
Another memorable cinematic moment is when the two scientists played by Neill and Laura Dern are towered over by a Brachiosaurus – allowing the audience see the scale of the creatures.
The film was a blockbuster hit in the summer of 1993, grossing $914m (£682m) worldwide in its original theatrical run. It shattered box office records, becoming the highest grossing film ever at the time of its release.
If you want to learn more about why many of us are fascinated with these prehistoric creatures, you can listen to a podcast about it on BBC sounds here.
Sam Neill has been described as a "rare actor" by the senior editor of Hello! Faye James.
She says while millions will forever know him as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park, his career spanned more than five decades and included acclaimed films like The Piano, Dead Calm, and My Brilliant Career.
"It's tempting to define him by Jurassic Park because Dr Alan Grant became one of cinema's most beloved characters," she says, but that it only tells part of the story long before Spielberg cast him and he had "already established himself as one of Australia's finest actors".
"He moved effortlessly between art house cinema, television, and Hollywood blockbusters," James says.
Audiences warmed to him because of his humour, humility, and openness particularly regarding cancer, she adds.
"He was candid when he lived with cancer, rather than hiding away he continued acting, and wrote his memoir."
Steven Wright
BBC News culture producer
Sam Neill once auditioned to be James Bond, but he claimed in his 2023 memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? that he did not really want the part.
His agent arranged for him to visit Pinewood Studios for the audition and insisted that he went. "I found myself out there handling a Luger or something," he told BBC News when his memoir was published, "and in another simulated bed scene, feeling entirely foolish."
He explained: "I really didn't want to be the Bond that everyone didn’t like. If you’re a Bond you’re a celebrity forever and I’m not and never have been and never wanted to be a celebrity. I'm not dogged by paparazzi. I can get a coffee in the morning and no-one bothers me and I think that's completely priceless.
"So, my life is my own. I have friends whose lives are not their own. They're immensely famous and they are very wealthy as a result but their lives are completely circumscribed by this and they can't go where they want and they need security and they need entourage and so on and that would be a living nightmare for me, and being Bond I think would be very much a part of that nightmare."
Neill appeared as the ruthless Major Chester Campbell in seasons one and two of Peaky Blinders
In addition to lead movie roles, Sam Neill also shared the screen with Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy in the BBC's hit 2013 gangster drama Peaky Blinders.
Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland, played Belfast chief inspector Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of the show.
His character is sent from Belfast to clean up Birmingham and was described by the show's creators as a "puritanical policeman who'll stop at nothing to get the job done".
However, despite being born in Northern Ireland, he told the BBC at the time that the character's Belfast accent was the "most difficult" aspect of the role.
Neill said the accent he once had was "beaten out" of him by classmates in New Zealand after moving there when he was seven, but said his friends and fellow actors Liam Neeson and James Nesbit helped him re-learn it.
"For all those people in Northern Ireland, I say blame it on Jimmy and blame it on Liam, it’s their fault," he joked.
More tributes have been shared following the "sudden and unexpected" death of actor Sam Neill, aged 78.
Australian pop superstar Kylie Minogue responded to the announcement of Neill's death with "Vale [goodbye] Sam" alongside a broken heart emoji.
Actor and presenter Alan Cumming writes "Ahhh Sam, what a glorious beautiful man. You are missed. Sorry to the family for your immense loss."
Actor Richard E Grant writes that he knew Neill for three decades, adding that Neill "guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life… Sail on, kind Sir".
Comedian Russell Howard described the news as "heartbreaking", adding: "An absolutely wonderful human being who will be sorely missed. Rest in peace Sam x."
Daisy Ridley, who is set to star alongside Neill in the not-yet-released film The Last Resort, posts a picture of herself with Neill alongside several broken heart emojis.
Neill was knighted by Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro in 2022
Sam Neill accepted a knighthood from New Zealand in 2022, after previously having rejected one when titular honours were reintroduced by the New Zealand government in 2009.
"I said I didn't want the title for 10 or 12 years," he told ABC in 2023, following the announcement of his cancer diagnosis.
"Then when I thought I was dying a couple of years ago, I thought, 'Oh bugger it, I may as well go out with the title,' so I changed my mind," he added.
At the time of his knighting, he wrote that he was "greatly honoured", adding "Dame Cindy was kind enough to tap me with the sword. Big day, very grateful."
Ian Youngs
Culture reporter
Sam Neill was a rare actor who enjoyed success in Hollywood blockbusters and acclaimed arthouse movies alike.
One of the most versatile stars in the film industry, he always commanded attention on screen – whether he was playing a steely but likeable hero or a chillingly menacing villain.
Jurassic Park was his biggest box office hit and made him an international star. His other Hollywood roles included The Hunt For Red October as Sir Sean Connery's second in command, Dead Calm as Nicole Kidman's husband, and Thor: Ragnarok as an Asgardian actor playing Odin.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg of a career that included dozens of films and TV shows in the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK.
Other highlights included 1981's cult horror Possession; 1988's A Cry in the Dark alongside Meryl Streep, which earned him the Australian Film Institute award for best lead actor; 1993 period drama The Piano, which won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival; and Taika Waititi’s 2016 breakout hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
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Speaking to the BBC at the 1993 premiere of Jurassic Park, Sam Neill said it was a "big surprise" how well the film had already been received.
The film went on to gross more than $970m (£720m), becoming the highest grossing film of all time – until it was dethroned by Titanic in 1997.
Colin Trevorrow directed Neill in 2022's Jurassic World: Dominion – the sixth film in the Jurassic Park franchise
Colin Trevorrow, who directed Sam Neill in 2022's Jurassic World Dominion, has described the actor as "deeply soulful and beautiful man".
Writing on X, Trevorrow says Neill "was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength".
"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. Forever grateful."
In March 2022 Sam Neill was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma – a type of blood cancer. At 75-years-old and unable to work, he turned to writing. He told the BBC it gave him a reason to get through the day.
When doctors told him about his illness, he said it made him "take stock of things".
A year later, what he anticipated would be a collection of stories became a book titled 'Did I Ever Tell you This? It exploried his life-long career and his diagnosis – but he stressed that it wasn't a "cancer book."
"The last thing I want is for people to obsess about the cancer thing," says Neill, "because I'm not really interested in cancer.
"I'm not really interested in anything other than living."
In April of this year Neill announced that he was cancer free.
Lucy Hockings
Chief presenter, BBC News
I met Sam Neill at the London premiere of Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016.
New Zealanders love this movie, it's funny and warm – "a small film with a big heart", Sam later told me.
We spoke about home and I asked him if he'd come into the studio for an interview. He hesitated. Live television makes me nervous, he told me, because of my stutter.
He came anyway and was generous, funny and without affectation. He told me about the movie, his admiration for the director of Wilderpeople, Taika Waititi, and how he'd just spent time on the set of his new movie, the Marvel blockbuster, Thor, Ragnarok.
What struck me was how little interest he seemed to have in celebrity. He said he wasn't a Hollywood star, just a New Zealand actor who worked there from time to time.
His favourite thing was escaping to his Two Paddocks vineyard in Central Otago, where the phone stopped working at the gate.
And when the interview finished and we were off air, he told me he always watched BBC News in hotel rooms around the world and loved hearing my accent – it reminds me of home, he said.
Fellow New-Zealand actor Karl Urban offered his "heartfelt condolences" to Sam Neill's family following the actor's death, aged 78.
"Sam was truly brilliant. An inspiration for many who followed in his trailblazing footsteps," wrote Urban, who is best known for Lord of the Rings and The Boys.
"A beautiful man. A national treasure who gave so much to New Zealand and the to world. God speed Sam."
Neill (right) played Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993) and a series of sequels
He appeared in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning 1993 drama The Piano, also in 1993
Neill's early roles included the adult antichrist Damien in The Omen III in 1981
Neill appeared opposite Sir Sean Connery in 1990 submarine thriller The Hunt For Red October
He went into space in 1997's sci-fi thriller Event Horizon
He played the title role in 1998's TV series Merlin and its 2006 follow-up
More recently, Neill appeared as the ruthless Major Chester Campbell in BBC TV's Peaky Blinders
Simon Atkinson
Australia reporter
Australian actor David Wenham, who was directed by Neill in The Brush Off says: "Aside from being an international all-round legend. Sam was the kindest, cheekiest, most generous and supportive friend going around."
Australian author and former Wallabies rugby union player Peter FitzSimons called Neill "a wonderful bloke with an impish sense of humour".
"Sam never actually became an Australian citizen, but in my view he'd be a great candidate for a State funeral," FitzSimons adds.
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark described Neill as a "legendary NZ actor who brought great pride to our country", adding that he was also a "champion of NZ’s arts, culture, unique environment, & wines".
New Zealand's foreign minister Winston Peters says Neill "was a Kiwi icon through his work in both local and Hollywood films that entertained people around the world over decades".
Helen Livingstone
Reporting from Sydney
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also paid tribute to Neill, describing him as "one of the greats".
"He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports," Luxon wrote on X.
Neill – who moved to New Zealand from Northern Ireland as a child – lived on a farm and winery in the Central Otago region.
"His work will be watched and loved long after all of us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace," Luxon continued.
Helen Livingstone
Reporting from Sydney
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has mourned Sam Neill, writing on X that he "starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts".
The New Zealand actor was regarded as an honorary Australian by many due to his connections to the country and he died in a hospital in Sydney surrounded by family.
"Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance," Albanese added. "He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace."
One of Neill's breakthrough roles was in the 1979 Australian film My Brilliant Career and he took on many other Australian roles including that of Michael Chamberlain – whose daughter was killed in an infamous dingo attack in 1980 – in the film A Cry In The Dark (released as Evil Angels in Australia and New Zealand) with Meryl Streep.
Just two weeks ago he was nominated for a Silver Logie at Australia's prestigious television awards, for his role in the drama series The Twelve.
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