Sam Neill, actor known for ‘Jurassic Park,’ dies at 78
Actor Sam Neill, best known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” died in Sydney at 78 surrounded by family.
Sam Neill’s cause of death has been revealed after his death at 78.
The “Jurassic Park” actor, who was in remission from stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, died from pneumonia, according to his representative Philip Grenz.
“Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
Grenz said there have been several “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods” in recent reports regarding Neill’s death.
The statement comes after comments journalist Laura Tingle, who previously dated Neill, made during an interview on “Sydney Mornings” where she said the actor was “pretty sick” in his final weeks. She also said that his immune system was “compromised” following his yearslong cancer battle, from which he was in remission.
“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date,” Grenz’s statement reads. “I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time.”
Neill announced he was “cancer-free” in April after undergoing a clinical trial in Australia, where he underwent CAR T-cell therapy to treat the rare blood cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2022.
His family, upon announcing his “sudden and unexpected” death on Instagram, noted the actor “remained cancer-free” and expressed “their deepest gratitude” to his hospital staff “for their incredible care.”
Neil died on July 13 in Sydney.
The actor was best known for his role as the gruff but undeniably lovable paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park.” He reprised the role in “Jurassic Park III” (2001) as well as “Jurassic World Dominion” (2022).
He also starred in films including “The Hunt for Red October,” “The Piano,” “Event Horizon,” “The Horse Whisperer,” and “Bicentennial Man.” On TV, Neill earned widespread acclaim for projects such as “Reilly, Ace of Spies,” “Merlin,” “The Tudors” and a villainous two-season arc in “Peaky Blinders,” in which he played ruthless detective Chester Campbell.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY
