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'Jurassic Park' Star Sam Neill Dies at 78 After Cancer Battle

Sam Neill, the actor best known for playing paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” has died at age 78, his family announced Monday. According to Page Six , Neill died in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by…

Andrew PowellJul 13, 20262 min read

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Sam Neill, the actor best known for playing paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” has died at age 78, his family announced Monday.

According to Page Six, Neill died in Sydney, Australia, surrounded by family, according to a statement shared by his relatives.

The family said his death was sudden and unexpected but noted that he had recently been Cancer-free.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney, Australia,” the statement said.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”

The actor’s death came shortly after he revealed he had overcome a serious Cancer diagnosis.

Neill had battled angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

.

Neill previously said chemotherapy helped extend his life, but doctors later told him the treatment was no longer effective.

He then participated in a trial using CAR T-cell therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy designed to help the body’s immune system attack Cancer cells.

“I’ve just had a scan just now, and there is no Cancer in my body; that’s an extraordinary thing,” Neill said after the treatment.

Born in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, in 1947, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and built a decades-long acting career across film and television.

He became internationally recognized after portraying Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park.” He later returned to the role in “Jurassic Park III” in 2001 and “Jurassic World: Dominion” in 2022.

Neill also appeared in John Carpenter’s “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” and earned recognition for his role as Inspector Chester Campbell in the hit series “Peaky Blinders.”

In recent years, Neill continued working in television and film, appearing in projects including “Apples Never Fall,” “Untamed” and “The Twelve.”

Neill’s family asked for privacy as they grieve his loss, while fans and fellow actors continue honoring a performer whose career spanned more than five decades.

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