Sam Neill Passes At 78, Star Of ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘In The Mouth Of Madness’ & ‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’

We have some sad news to share: as you might have already heard, Kiwi actor Sam Neill (Northern Ireland-born), who is likely best known for his blockbuster role of Dr. Grant in Steven Spielberg‘s 1993 film “Jurassic Park,” has passed away at the age of 78 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. As pointed out in various reports (via the BBC), Neill had been battling blood cancer (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) for years before announcing back in April that he was cancer-free, so his sudden death was very unexpected, given his most recent and positive health update.

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While Neill had his fair share of drama roles (such as “A Cry In The Dark” opposite Meryl Streep as an Australian couple accused of killing their baby while camping in the outback and Jane Campion‘s Oscar-winning drama “The Piano“), he was equally drawn to genre projects, working twice with filmmaker John Carpenter on “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (a sort of romantic action-adventure take starring Chevy Chase) and the Lovecraftian horror flick “In the Mouth of Madness.”

Other features wading in those waters included Phillip Noyce‘s high-seas thriller “Dead Clam” co-starring with Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, “The Hunt For Red October” (the first installment in the Jack Ryan franchise), “Possession,” the sci-fi ghost ship flick “Event Horizon,” and he’d even return as Dr. Grant to the “Jurassic Park” franchise with sequels such as “Jurassic Park III” and “Jurassic World Dominion.” He was the co-lead in Taika Waititi‘s underrated survivalist comedy “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” where he played a surly farmer (echoing his own farm and winery) who adopts a young boy (played by Julian Dennison) later in life as authorities seek the pair out when the boy needs to be returned after the death of his wife.

Some of Neill’s final performances are in upcoming projects, including the bonkers-looking talking animal comedy “The Fox,” the Daisy Ridley-led romantic comedy “The Last Resort,” and the next MonsterVerse movie, “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.”

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Sam Neill was even once considered to play the iconic James Bond and filmed a screen test for the part in 1986, which he ultimately didn’t land, as the role for “The Living Daylights” would instead go to Timothy Dalton. Feel free to check out that footage below.