Best known for his role as paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, actor Sam Neill also earned the respect of many LGBTQ+ people for using his public platform to advocate for marriage equality during a pivotal moment in Australia’s history.
Neill died Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia, according to a statement shared by his family on Instagram. He was 78.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau [family] of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July 2026, in Sydney, Australia,” the family said. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life.”
The family said his death was “sudden and unexpected” and noted that Neill “remained cancer free” following a years-long battle with blood cancer. No cause of death has been publicly announced.
Although his career stretched across more than five decades, Neill’s connection to LGBTQ+ audiences extended beyond his extensive filmography. He was an outspoken supporter of marriage equality and criticized political leaders who stood in the way of legal recognition for same-sex couples.
During a 2016 interview with Nine News Today, Neill expressed frustration that Australia’s parliament had failed to act despite broad public support for same-sex marriage.
“I can’t believe we’re talking about this at all,” Neill said. “Sixty-four percent of Australians are for marriage equality, most politicians are for marriage equality. I don’t think it’s any business of anyone’s who should get married and who shouldn’t. Why don’t they just get up and pass the bill? What’s the matter with this constipated parliament?”
At the time, same-sex marriage had already been legalized in New Zealand, where Neill was raised, and in the United States. Australia would not legalize marriage equality until December 2017, following a national postal survey in which 61.6% of participating voters supported the change.
Neill’s career also included roles connected to LGBTQ+ stories. In the 2005 Australian drama Little Fish, he portrayed Brad “The Jockey” Thompson, a retiring drug dealer involved in a secret relationship with Lionel Dawson, a closeted former rugby star portrayed by Hugo Weaving. Their complicated relationship was woven into a broader story about addiction, family and efforts to escape the past.
Neill later revealed that one of his greatest professional regrets was turning down the role of Bernadette in the 1994 LGBTQ+ classic “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” The role of the transgender woman was ultimately played by Terence Stamp.
“The only regret I do have is that I did turn down ‘Priscilla,’” Neill said during a 2016 radio interview. He explained that his decision was not rooted in discomfort with the character or wearing women’s clothing. He simply did not understand the script’s humor at the time and later acknowledged that he had misjudged what became one of Australia’s most beloved films.
Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, Neill moved to New Zealand with his family when he was seven. He rose to international prominence as Dr. Alan Grant in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park” and reprised the role in “Jurassic Park III” and “Jurassic World Dominion.” His career also included standout performances in “The Piano,” “Dead Calm,” “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” “Event Horizon” and “Peaky Blinders.”
Tributes poured in after his death. Laura Dern, who starred alongside Neill in “Jurassic Park,” remembered him as her “beloved lifetime friend,” while “Jurassic World Dominion” director Colin Trevorrow described him as a “deeply soulful and beautiful man.”
Neill publicly revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Earlier this year, he announced he was cancer-free.
He is survived by his children and extended family.
