Neill starred in the original Jurassic Park film alongside Laura Dern and Richard Attenborough GETTY IMAGES
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Actor Sam Neill, who has died at the age of 78, was best known for starring in the Jurassic Park movies – which were the tip of the iceberg of a long and varied career that ranged from Hollywood blockbusters to acclaimed arthouse films.
His big early acting roles included the adult antichrist Damien in The Omen III in 1981. Moviestore/ShutterstockHe went on to star alongside Nicole Kidman in the 1989 psychological thriller Dead Calm. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesNeill appeared opposite Sir Sean Connery in 1990 submarine thriller The Hunt For Red October. Everett/ShutterstockHe featured in Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning 1993 drama The Piano. Jan Chapman Prods/Ciby 2000/Miramax/Kobal/ShutterstockNeill will be best remembered, though, for playing Dr Alan Grant in US director Steven Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi adventure Jurassic Park. GETTY IMAGESJeff Goldblum and Martin Ferrero also appeared alongside Neill, Dern and Attenborough – as well as lots of dinosaurs. Murray Close/Moviepix/Getty Images)He reprised his role as the palaeontologist in Jurassic Park III in 2001. GETTY IMAGES
After a long gap, the franchise returned with different actors for a modern trilogy of Jurassic World movies from 2015 onwards, but the original stars returned for one last hurrah in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.
Jurassic Park aside, the actor went into space in 1997’s sci-fi thriller Event Horizon. Macpherson/Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockHe played the title role in 1998’s fantasy adventure TV series Merlin and its 2006 follow-up. GETTY IMAGESMore recently, Neill appeared as the ruthless Major Chester Campbell in BBC TV’s Peaky Blinders. BBC/Tiger Aspect/Robert ViglaskyHis other on screen credits included the mystery drama series Apples Never Fall, alongside Annette Bening.
