‘Jurassic Park’ star Sam Neill dead at 78
Sam Neill, the star of the 1993 blockbuster ‘Jurassic Park’ died at 78 Monday, his family announced.
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RIP Sam Neill (Jurassic Park)
- Thread starter Halldan
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Apparently, Spielberg initially wanted Harrison Ford to play paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant - that's also who i imagined when i read the novel several months before the film was released.
He instructed the conceptual artists to make all their renderings of Dr. Grant with Harrison Ford's face so he could sell the idea to the actor. Ford passed, perhaps because he had already played a famous archeologist for Spielberg and didn't want to portray a paleontologist as well. There were some rumors Steven then offered the role to Dreyfuss, but after JAWS, Dreyfuss was done with uncooperative animatronics. Thus, the door was opened for Sam Neill. He became Dr. Alan Grant. The rest is history.
As a lover of Horror, I always appreciated this guy. Omen III(where he played the anti-christ, no less) Possession, In the Mouth of Madness and Event Horizon....I'm probably forgetting a few. He brought presence to every role, no matter the genre, and was no showboating Hollywood actor. He was refreshing in that quiet sort of way.
Very good actor. He will be missed.
He instructed the conceptual artists to make all their renderings of Dr. Grant with Harrison Ford's face so he could sell the idea to the actor. Ford passed, perhaps because he had already played a famous archeologist for Spielberg and didn't want to portray a paleontologist as well. There were some rumors Steven then offered the role to Dreyfuss, but after JAWS, Dreyfuss was done with uncooperative animatronics. Thus, the door was opened for Sam Neill. He became Dr. Alan Grant. The rest is history.
As a lover of Horror, I always appreciated this guy. Omen III(where he played the anti-christ, no less) Possession, In the Mouth of Madness and Event Horizon....I'm probably forgetting a few. He brought presence to every role, no matter the genre, and was no showboating Hollywood actor. He was refreshing in that quiet sort of way.
Very good actor. He will be missed.
‘Will Never Be Forgotten’: Steven Spielberg Tributes Jurassic Park Star Sam Neill - Comic Book Movies and Superhero Movie News - SuperHeroHype
Steven Speilberg tributes Sam Neill and called him "extremely collaborative" stating that the late actor would "never be forgotten."
www.superherohype.com
‘Will Never Be Forgotten’: Steven Spielberg Tributes Jurassic Park Star Sam Neill - Comic Book Movies and Superhero Movie News - SuperHeroHype
Steven Speilberg tributes Sam Neill and called him "extremely collaborative" stating that the late actor would "never be forgotten."
www.superherohype.com
‘Will Never Be Forgotten’: Steven Spielberg Tributes Jurassic Park Star Sam Neill
Steven Spielberg spoke about Sam Neill in a tribute message. Saddened by the sudden death of the late Jurassic Park star, he called the actor “exceptionally collaborative” and said he would “never be forgotten.”
What did Steven Spielberg say about Sam Neill?
Steven recently spoke to Variety and paid his tribute to the late actor, Sam Neill, who passed away on Monday, 13 July.In the statement, Spielberg stated, “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park.”
He also added, “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 and Neill first worked together in the 1993 Jurassic Park movie. Recalling those days, the director stated, “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.”
Moreover, Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World Dominion (2022), which starred the late actor, paid tribute in an Instagram post, calling him a “deeply soulful and beautiful man.” It further read, “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.”
In 2022, Neill was diagnosed with stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer. However, it was revealed that he was cancer-free earlier this year. On Monday, his family shared the news of his passing, stating that his death was “sudden and unexpected. but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
Sam Neill’s longtime representative confirms Jurassic Park star’s cause of death
Grenz confirmed in a statement that Neill died of pneumonia. According to The Guardian, he said that he was disclosing the actor’s cause of death after consulting with Neill’s family, citing the spread of “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods” in news coverage.“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” the statement reads, “Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.” Grenz also revealed that besides running his winery Two Paddocks, Neill “had filmed four projects back-to-back during the past year, all of which will be released within the coming months.”
This comes after Neill’s ex, Australian journalist Laura Tingle, said in an interview that the actor had been “pretty sick” in the final weeks of his life. Meanwhile, Neill’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople co-star Rima Te Wiata said in a separate interview that the multi-Emmy nominee had fallen ill with pneumonia before his passing.
While describing Neill, Grenz noted that he was “an intensely private man who loathed a fuss.” Grenz added, “His family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date. I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time” (via Entertainment Weekly).
Sam Neil garnered widespread popularity for playing Dr Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise. The New Zealand actor also portrayed various other memorable roles in My Brilliant Career, Event Horizon, Merlin, and Peaky Blinders.
In the statement, Grenz wrote that Neil’s family wants people to send donations to charities that the actor supported instead of flowers. Some of these charities are The Snowdome Foundation, The Dunstan Hospital Foundation, NZ Nature Fund, and Sustainable Tarras.