ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Celebrities devider Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Cillian Murphy and more mourn the death of Sam Neill

Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Cillian Murphy and more mourn the death of Sam Neill

Published Jul 14, 2026 09:27 am

Fellow actors and fans of Sam Neill are mourning the passing of the acclaimed New Zealand actor, who died Monday after a battle with a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Neill reached global fame through his role as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster "Jurassic Park." In the film, Neill's character is invited to a remote island off Costa Rica where a theme park housing cloned dinosaurs has been built. He starred alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.

Beyond "Jurassic Park," Neill built a celebrated career spanning film and television. He earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the title character in the 1998 miniseries "Merlin" and another nomination as narrator of the 2017 documentary series "Wild New Zealand." He also received three Golden Globe nominations for "Merlin," "One Against the Wind" and "Reilly: Ace of Spies."

Following news of his death, colleagues and friends remembered Neill as not only a gifted actor but also a generous collaborator and a beloved figure in the entertainment industry.

Steven Spielberg, who directed Neill in "Jurassic Park," described him as a remarkable collaborator.

"Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children," Spielberg said in a statement.

"I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world."

Actor Richard E. Grant remembered Neill as a longtime friend and gentleman.

"Knew Sam Neill for 3 decades and finally worked with him on 'Palm Beach' in 2018. An officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense. Guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my life. Sail on, kind Sir," Grant wrote on Instagram.

Actor Cillian Murphy also paid tribute to Neill, calling him one of the kindest people he had known.

"Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors. RIP," Murphy said in a statement.

Nicole Kidman, who worked with Neill early in her career, remembered their decades-long friendship.

"Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around. We met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family," Kidman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Jurassic World: Dominion" director Colin Trevorrow described Neill as a soulful person and valued collaborator.

"Sam Neill was a deeply soulful and beautiful man. He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I'll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It's not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful," Trevorrow wrote on Instagram.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also honored Neill's contribution to the country's film industry.

"Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats. He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today — one of our greatest cultural exports," Luxon wrote on X.

Other performers, including Sharon Lawrence, Joel Tobeck, Rachel Griffiths, Kylie Minogue, Toni Collette, Lesley-Ann Brandt and Kate Mulvany, also shared tributes, remembering Neill as a talented actor, mentor and friend.

Collette wrote on Instagram: "I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much. Continue in peace wherever you are."

Mulvany described Neill as "the most wondrous human," adding that his legacy would continue through his work, advocacy and the people whose lives he touched.

Neill's career, which spanned more than five decades, left a lasting mark on international cinema while helping bring New Zealand talent and stories to audiences around the world.

Related Tags

Sam Neill Jurassic Park Alan Grant Steven Spielberg Laura Dern Jeff Goldblum Richard Attenborough Jurassic World Nicole Kidman Cillian Murphy Richard E. Grant Colin Trevorrow
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.