Steven Spielberg Says Sam Neill Will ‘Never Be Forgotten’ In Beautiful Tribute

Steven Spielberg has paid a heartfelt tribute to the actor Sam Neill, who he directed in the first Jurassic Park movie.

On Monday, the Oscar-winning filmmaker was among the Hollywood stars to pay their respects to Sam, following his death at the age of 78.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg shared how “saddened” he was by the loss, beginning by expressing his “gratitude” to filmmakers 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”, which led to him being cast in Jurassic Park.

Spielberg enthused: “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.

“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.”

Laura Dern then shared her own tribute with the US outlet, which read: “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.”

Laura Dern and Sam Neill played the leads in 1993's Jurassic Park
Laura Dern and Sam Neill played the leads in 1993’s Jurassic Park

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

“I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant,” she concluded.

Following the news of Sam’s death on Monday morning, a number of his Hollywood peers and former co-stars have been paying their respects on social media…

Oscar winner Cillan Murphy, who starred alongside Sam in the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders, told Deadline: “Like 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.”

New Zealand and Australia’s prime ministers, Christopher Luxon and Anthony Albanese, also posted tributes of their own.

“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney Australia,” his family announced in a statement.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.”

The Emmy nominee’s death was described as “sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free”.

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Loved Jurassic World Dominion On Netflix? Here’s Where To Stream The Entire Jurassic Park Series

The most recent film in the Jurassic Park franchise debuted on Netflix UK just days ago – and quickly leapt to the top of the streaming platform’s list of most-watched films.

Jurassic World Dominion first hit cinemas in 2022, and sees Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard sharing the screen with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Nell, who first appeared in Steven Spielberg’s original film from back in 1993.

While admittedly it didn’t exactly get the warmest reception from critics upon its release, it was still a hit at the box office, which has seemingly now translated into viewers tuning in on Netflix.

Laura Dern and Sam Nell returned to the Jurassic saga for the 2022 movie
Laura Dern and Sam Nell returned to the Jurassic saga for the 2022 movie

Universal Pictures/Moviestore/Shutterstock

And if watching Jurassic World Dominion has got you in the mood to revisit the rest of the adventure saga, here’s where the rest of the series is streaming.

Throwing it right back to the acclaimed original film, you can catch the epic Jurassic Park on Now or Sky Cinema.

Laura Dern and Sam Nell in the first Jurassic Park film
Laura Dern and Sam Nell in the first Jurassic Park film

Moviestore/Shutterstock

Staying in the 1990s, Steven Spielberg’s follow-up The Lost World was somewhat more coolly received at the time, with the third film in the series, titled simply Jurassic Park III, faring even less well with critics.

However, if you’d still consider them an essential part of your Jurassic rewatch, you can catch both of them on Amazon Prime Video.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park starred Julianne Moore and Jeff Goldblum
The Lost World: Jurassic Park starred Julianne Moore and Jeff Goldblum

Moviestore/Shutterstock

The series was rebooted more than a decade later with 2015’s Jurassic World, considered by many to be a return to form for the dinosaur film saga.

Like the first Jurassic Park movie, this one is also available to watch on Now and Sky Cinema, while follow-up Fallen Kingdom, which reintroduced Jeff Goldblum to the series, is streaming on Netflix.

Chris Pratt in the first Jurassic World movie
Chris Pratt in the first Jurassic World movie

Amblin/Legendary/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

And although Dominion marked the end of the Jurassic World trilogy, another reboot was recently confirmed to be in the works, which will reportedly star Scarlett Johansson alongside Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey.

Oh… and if you wanted to check out the animated spin-offs Chaos Theory, Camp Cretaceous or the interactive Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure, they’re also on Netflix now, while 2019’s short film Battle At Big Rock is available to watch on YouTube below:

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