{"id":799502,"date":"2026-07-13T17:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/799502\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T17:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T17:10:08","slug":"sam-neill-remembered-laura-dern-more-pay-tribute-to-beautiful-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/799502\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Neill Remembered: Laura Dern & More Pay Tribute To “Beautiful Man”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSam Neill<\/a> is being remembered by the film and TV community after his family announced<\/a> his \u201csudden and unexpected\u201d death.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement shared on Neill\u2019s Instagram profile, his loved ones said the Jurassic Park<\/a> and Peaky Blinders<\/a> actor died \u201cwith the dignity that has characterised his whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe statement led to an outpouring of grief. Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg was among those leading the tributes. In a statement, Spielberg said: \u201cI 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSam 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.\u00a0 I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.\u00a0Along 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDern, who starred as Dr. Ellie Sattler opposite Neill\u2019s Dr. Grant in the franchise, paid tribute to \u201cmy beloved lifetime friend\u2026\u201d in a statement to Deadline. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnnette Bening, who starred opposite Neill in Peacock\u2019s limited series Apples Never Fall, recalled \u2018the pleasure of working with Sam\u201d in a statement to Deadline.\u00a0\u201cOn camera the family was dysfunctional and miserable, off camera we delighted in each other\u2019s company and still maintain a \u201cfamily\u201d text to this day.\u00a0 Even though he was receiving treatment for lymphoma at the time, he was cheerful, hardworking, and a complete delight.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs an actor, Sam was without artifice or frills, and his craft was rigorous,\u201d she continued.\u00a0 He told the truth.\u00a0 When I and a colleague took a brief trip to New Zealand, Sam was kind enough to organize a helicopter trip over Milford Sound.\u00a0 An adventure we\u2019ll never forget.\u00a0 Thanks, Sam, for the wine, the camaraderie, and so many superb performances in so many great movies.\u00a0 We will miss you!\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tNicole Kidman, who starred alongside Neill in 1989\u2019s Dead Calm, called him \u201cone of the greats\u201d and \u201ca joy to be around\u201d in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.<\/a> \u201cWe met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life,\u201d she added. \u201cHe was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement sent to Deadline<\/a>, Cillian Murphy said: \u201cLike 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKarl Urban, a fellow Kiwi, wrote that Neill was an \u201cinspiration\u201d and a trailblazer for his countrymen. \u201cA beautiful man. A national treasure who gave so much to New Zealand and to the world,\u201d added The Boys star in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n

\n\tColin Trevorrow, director of Jurassic World, wrote on Instagram: \u201cSam 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.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It\u2019s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Peaky Blinders team said they were \u201cdevastated\u201d by Neill\u2019s loss<\/a>. \u201cSam\u2019s portrayal of Chester Campbell is one for the ages,\u201d the show said on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSam was one of the key forces that got Peaky Blinders off to a running start, for which we will be forever grateful. Our love and thoughts are with his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRichard E. Grant described Neill as an \u201cofficer and a gentleman in the truest sense,\u201d recalling how they worked together on 2019\u2019s Palm Beach.<\/p>\n

\n\tNew Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wrote: \u201cSir Sam Neill was one of the greats. He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor 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 \u2013 one of our greatest cultural exports.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHis work will be watched and loved long after all of us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends tonight. Rest in Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 one of our greatest\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Christopher Luxon (@chrisluxonmp) July 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added: \u201cSam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an Instagram comment, Kylie Minogue wrote: \u201cVale Sam \ud83d\udc94\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tToni Collette, the Oscar-nominated Australian actress who starred with Neill in A Long Way Down and Dirty Deeds, described her friend as a \u201csweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRhys Darby, star of HBO\u2019s Flight of the Conchords, wrote: \u201cA truly great human, a legend and an inspiration to all even beyond the art world. We will always love you Sam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlan Cumming, The Traitors host who has previously referred to Neill as a friend, said: \u201cAhhh Sam, what a glorious beautiful man. You are missed. Sorry to the family for your immense loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLesley-Ann Brandt, star of Lucifer, wrote: \u201cA remarkable man and artist. NZ loses a giant and one of its greatest gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMatthew Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia, said: \u201cSam Neill was one of the great figures of Australian and New Zealand screen. His extraordinary talent and professionalism enriched countless productions and inspired generations of filmmakers and performers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAustralian producers were privileged to work alongside Sam on so many landmark productions. His contribution to Australian storytelling and to our screen culture is immeasurable, and his legacy will continue to inspire audiences and the industry for generations to come.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tDenise Petski contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sam Neill is being remembered by the film and TV community after his family announced his \u201csudden and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":799503,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75,281665,42997,237298],"class_list":["post-799502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-jurassic-park","tag-peaky-blinders","tag-sam-neill"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=799502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/799502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/799503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=799502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=799502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=799502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}