Jurassic Park star Sam Neill reportedly had pneumonia prior to his death, according to a former co-star.
The Northern Ireland-born New Zealand actor, best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in the blockbuster franchise, died aged 78 in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.
His death came months after he announced he was cancer-free following treatment, three years after saying he had a “ferocious” and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Neill starred in Taika Waititi’s 2016 comedy Hunt For the Wilderpeople alongside Rima Te Wiata, and she said the actor had a bout of pneumonia prior to his death.
In an interview with NZ Herald, she said: “It really sucks.
“I’m sure, as he said in the press once, he’s not scared of death, but he would be annoyed.
“He would be like, ‘Oh, for goodness sake! I got over my cancer, and now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?’
“But he’s on his big journey now.”
She also paid tribute to Neill, saying: “To be a really good actor, you’ve got to be a good listener. He had really good instincts and a really good spirit. He had a lot of empathy, and those qualities really helped him.
“He had compassion for his characters, even if they were awful. He knew how to understand things from their perspective.”
Tributes have poured in for the actor, who was also known for portraying the corrupt senior police officer Major Chester Campbell in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders opposite Cillian Murphy.
Jurassic Park child star Joseph Mazzello, 42, said his death was a “gut punch” after starring in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film as Tim Murphy opposite Neill’s Alan Grant.
Mazzello posted a video tribute on Instagram in which he struggled to hold back tears speaking about Neill.
He said: “I had been following his cancer diagnosis and his recovery and was so happy and thankful when I found out he was cancer-free, so this just comes I think as an extra gut punch, because I thought he was through it – but that is life, isn’t it?”
Mazzello actor reflected on how Jurassic Park was a “defining moment” in his life, adding he was “so thankful” to Neill that he was “so great in that movie because he made us great too”.
Speaking about Neill, Mazzello said he was “the best of us”, adding: “I can’t say enough good about it and it’s just still shocking, and I’m going to miss him.”
Ariana Clarice Richards, who played Lex Murphy in the original film, also shared a tribute to Neill.
She said: “Sam – you were more than just a lovely actor to work with – refined, thoughtful, a skill second to none – you were a mentor, protector, and above all, friend. Thank you for making our scenes together feel so real. I will be forever grateful to have been on this journey with you.”
Neill reprised his role as Grant in 2001’s Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion in 2022.
Bryce Dallas Howard – his co-star from the latter movie – described Neill as “funny, warm, wickedly self-deprecating, endlessly kind”.
She said: “Sam had an immense passion for life. Generous with his wine, his stories, his time. One of the most unassumingly attractive and magnetic people I’ve ever met. One of the greats, in every sense.”
Chris Pratt – who played Owen Grady in the first three films of the Jurassic World franchise – said: “So devastated to hear the news of Sam’s passing. It was a privilege getting to work with him. All the laughs and memories. I’ll cherish forever. He is a true legend. Keeping his family in my prayers.”
Neill’s Jurassic Park co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum also paid tribute following his death.
Dern said: “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr Alan Grant.”
Goldblum said: “The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever.”
Jurassic Park director Spielberg said in a statement he “adored” making movies with Neill.
“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,” he said.
Announcing Neill’s death in a statement, his family said he died “surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life”.
They added: “The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free.”
