Sam Neill, 78, dies after a celebrated career

Actor Sam Neill, whose work spanned blockbuster science‑fiction and arthouse drama, passed away at the age of 78 on 12 July 2026. Born on 20 September 1947, the New Zealand performer was best known for playing palaeontologist Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film Jurassic Park.

Some of Neill’s most memorable early roles included Damien in The Omen III (1981), the lead in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm with Nicole Kidman, and a space‑tension performance in Event Horizon (1997). He later appeared in the fantasy series Merlin (1998‑2006) and the acclaimed BBC series Peaky Blinders (2023‑2024).

More recently the actor had a brief appearance in the mystery drama Apples Never Fall alongside Annette Bening, demonstrating his ability to move across genre.

Neill’s legacy includes a career that continued into the 2000s and beyond, with a return to the dinosaur franchise in Jurassic Park III (2001) and a cameo in Jurassic World Dominion (2022). His touchstone role remains in the world’s most iconic science‑fiction adventure.