Actor Sam Neill, best known for playing paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films, has died at the age of 78.
Neill passed away in Sydney, Australia, according to a statement from his family. He had been battling an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma since in 2022, but family members said he had recently been cancer-free following treatment.
Neill became an international star with 1993's Jurassic Park, one of the biggest movies of its era, and later returned for several sequels, including Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he also appeared in films including The Hunt for Red October, The Piano, Dead Calm, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, as well as the television series Peaky Blinders. [yahoo.com]
Despite his Hollywood success, Neill preferred a quieter life on his farm and vineyard in New Zealand, where he became known on social media for sharing humorous posts and updates about his animals. Born in Northern Ireland in 1947, Neill moved to New Zealand as a child and became one of the country's most celebrated actors. He is survived by four children and eight grandchildren. (TMZ)