The actor’s family shared on Monday that Neill’s death was “sudden and unexpected.”

Sam Neill,* Jurassic Park* and Possession star, dies at 78

The actor’s family shared on Monday that Neill’s death was “sudden and unexpected.”

By Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is a staff editor at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, GQ, and Ars Technica.

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July 13, 2026 7:41 a.m. ET

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Sam Neill in 2025. Credit:

Chris Hyde/Getty

Sam Neill, the legendary New Zealand actor who was best known for his role as Alan Grant in *Jurassic Park*, has died at 78.

His family announced the “unexpected” news on Instagram early Monday morning.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the post began.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” the statement continued. “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care. More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”

After starring in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 dinosaur adventure film, which earned close to $1 billion at the box office, Neill starred in the sequel *Jurassic Park III *and reprised his role in 2022’s *Jurassic World: Dominion*, along with his love interest in the franchise, Laura Dern.

Sam Neill in ‘Jurassic Park III’.

Universal/Getty

Before *Jurassic Park*, he starred opposite Isabelle Adjani in the 1981 supernatural horror film *Possession*, which is currently being remade with Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley.

Neill also starred in films like *Event Horizon*, *Hunt for the Wilderpeople*, *In the Mouth of Madness*, and *Wimbledon*.

Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in 1981’s ‘Possssion’.

The actor’s last roles are the yet-to-be-released *The Last Resort *alongside Daisy Ridley and *Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.*

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