Richard E. Grant praises Sam Neill for ‘helping me through a very difficult time’ during three-decade friendship as he leads the tributes to Jurassic Park star following his death aged 78

Friends and colleagues of Sam Neill have paid tribute to the actor following his death at the age of 78.

The Jurassic Park actor was admitted to hospital in Sydney on Monday. His family described his death as “sudden and unexpected” in a statement posted on his Instagram page.

Richard E. Grant, who was a close friend of Neill, led the tributes on Monday and shared a series of photos on his Instagram page, writing: ‘I knew @samneilltheprop for 30 years and eventually worked with him at PALM BEACH in 2018. ‘The consummate officer and gentleman.’

Richard, who lost his beloved wife Joan to cancer in 2021, later added his gratitude to his late friend who ‘guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life.’ ‘Go on your way, kind sir.’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also made a statement about X, writing: ‘Sam Neill has starred in many beloved Australian stories and has won a special place in the hearts of Australians.

‘Wry and dry, thoughtful and pithy, Sam battled the disease with the same dignity, humor and conviction that powered every performance.’

Richard E. Grant, a close friend of Neill, led the tributes on Monday, posting a series of photos on his Instagram page and writing: ‘A true officer and a gentleman.’

‘He will be much mourned and long remembered. ‘May he rest in peace.’

Australian actress and Muriel’s Wedding star Rachel Griffiths, who has worked with Neill on two films, wrote on Instagram: ‘Rest in peace Sam, thank you for the giggles and good company of the characters. Love to everyone who loves you; You will be missed.’

Neill’s family said at the memorial service: ‘It is with great sadness that Sam Neill’s whānau (family) share the news of his passing in Sydney Australia on Monday 13 July. “Sam was surrounded by his family and passed with the dignity that characterized his entire life,” they said.

‘The loss was sudden and unexpected, but fortunately Sam remained cancer-free. They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff of St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.

‘More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they cope with this immeasurable loss.’

In April, Neill, known for his role as Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series, announced that tests determined that he did not have cancer.

In an interview with Channel Seven, Neill described how close he came to death after the chemotherapy started working. An expensive, cutting-edge treatment extended his life.

Neill said: ‘I’ve been living with a certain type of lymphoma for about five years and I was having chemotherapy and doing a pretty miserable job but it was keeping me alive.

‘Then the chemotherapy stopped working. ‘I was beside myself and it looked like I was heading for the exit, which was definitely not ideal.’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also made a statement about X, writing: ‘Sam Neill has starred in many beloved Australian stories and has earned a special place in the hearts of Australians.’

Australian actress and Muriel’s Wedding star Rachel Griffiths, who worked with Neill on two films, shared a tribute on Instagram.

In April, Neill, known for his role as Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park series, announced that tests determined that he did not have cancer.

Neill underwent a special treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies the patient’s own T cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Private treatment costs around AUD 540,000.

‘I’ve just had a scan and there is no cancer in my body, which is extraordinary. “I’m very, very excited that this could happen,” he said at the time.

The treatment is currently in clinical trials to treat another blood cancer, myeloma.

Neill also said he plans to return to acting.

‘It’s time for me to make another movie,’ he said.

Neill first publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis in 2023, after initially experiencing swollen glands after being diagnosed with cancer the previous year.

He learned about stage three blood cancer while promoting Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.

In this film, he reprized his role as Grant, alongside his original co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, as well as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

He told Australian Story at the time: ‘I’m not afraid of dying in any way. This doesn’t worry me. It never worried me to begin with, but I would get angry.

‘I would get angry because there were still things I wanted to do. Very annoying and lethal. But I’m not afraid of it.’

Neill first publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in 2023, after initially experiencing swollen glands after being diagnosed with cancer the previous year (pictured in 2025)

Neill, who was born in Northern Ireland to a British mother and a New Zealand father, first revealed the news of his illness in the first chapter of his memoir, Did I Tell You That?, in which he wrote that he was ‘probably dying’.

Evaluating the life of that period, the experienced actor once again said that he was not afraid of death and said, ‘I am not afraid of dying. But it would bother me. Because I’d really like another ten or twenty years, you know?’

‘We’ve built all these beautiful terraces, we’ve got olive trees and cypresses and I want to be around to see them all mature. And I have cute little grandchildren. I want to see them grow.

‘But as for dying? I couldn’t care less.’

Neill has a 40-year-old son, Tim, from New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, to whom he was married between 1980 and 1989.

The star was married to Japanese make-up artist Noriko Watanabe between 1989 and 2017, and they had a daughter named Elena, 35. He also adopted Noriko’s daughter from his first marriage, Maiko.

Neill was born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Ireland and his family moved to New Zealand in 1954.

He used the pseudonym Sam and dropped Nigel after deciding Sam was ‘less weird’.

‘I found that I moved through the world more easily as a Sam. Nigel is an odd fit in most situations. ‘Imagine you are a film actor called Nigel Neill,’ he said in 2014.

Neill has appeared in three Jurassic Park films, including the original in 1993, 2001’s Jurassic Park III, and 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.

He became a household name after playing paleontologist Grant in the 1993 film Jurassic Park, alongside Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.

He would reprise the role in 2001’s Jurassic Park III and four years earlier in Jurassic World Dominion.

He recently worked on Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort; both will be released posthumously in 2027.

On the small screen, Neill has appeared in episodes of The Simpsons, Peaky Blinders, The Tudors and The Twelve.