Sam Neill Dead: Spielberg, Kidman, Dern Among Those Marking Loss

The Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders actor died suddenly, with tributes arriving from co-stars, directors, and heads of government across multiple continents.

Sam Neill's family announced his sudden and unexpected death, without disclosing a cause.
Laura Dern, Nicole Kidman, and Steven Spielberg were among the first to issue public tributes.
Karl Urban, a fellow New Zealander, also paid tribute, as did prime ministers from at least one government.
Neill had most recently appeared in the Peaky Blinders film prior to his death.
He had previously disclosed a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his 2023 memoir Did I Ever Tell You This?

Sam Neill, the actor best known for playing paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant across the Jurassic Park franchise and most recently appearing in the Peaky Blinders feature film, died suddenly, his family announced. No cause of death was given.

Tributes arrived quickly and from a notable spread of sources. Steven Spielberg, who directed Neill in the original 1993 Jurassic Park, issued a statement. Laura Dern and Nicole Kidman — both co-stars from that film and its successors — offered public remembrances. Karl Urban, a fellow New Zealander, also paid tribute, as did prime ministerial figures.

Neill was born in Northern Ireland and raised in New Zealand, and had long maintained his connection to both countries. He disclosed a diagnosis of stage-three non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his 2023 memoir, “Did I Ever Tell You This?,” describing treatment that included chemotherapy. He continued working through and after that period.

His filmography ran from the 1977 New Zealand drama Sleeping Dogs through Jurassic Park, The Piano, Event Horizon, and into prestige television with Peaky Blinders and Reilly, Ace of Spies decades prior.

His memoir was subtitled “A Memoir.” The family has not announced funeral arrangements.