Sam Neill, the veteran screen actor whose presence was as large as the dinosaurs he battled in Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 78. According to the account, his family announced that the actor had passed away surrounded by his loved ones, closing the final chapter of a career that spanned decades and carried him from small art films to some of the biggest blockbusters in cinema history.
The news came only months after he had appeared to turn a corner in his health. According to the account, Neill had revealed earlier this year that he was cancer free following a long battle with blood cancer, a fight he had spoken about openly and that had drawn support from fans and colleagues around the world during the years he was undergoing treatment.
For millions of filmgoers, his face is inseparable from one particular moment on screen. According to the account, Neill became famous for the Jurassic Park scene in which his character slowly removes his sunglasses on catching sight of a living dinosaur for the first time, a gesture that has been replayed and celebrated countless times in the years since the film's release.
The actor himself later explained the thinking behind that now-iconic reaction. According to the account, Neill said that if you are going to see something extremely startling for the first time in your life, you want your face to be visible rather than hidden behind the wayfarers, a small choice that helped turn the moment into one of the most quoted images of the blockbuster era.
Jurassic Park was far from his only memorable role. According to the account, Neill starred alongside Sean Connery in the Cold War thriller The Hunt for Red October, one of several films in which he shared the screen with some of the biggest names of his time, underlining the range of a performer equally at home in tense dramas and popcorn spectacles.
Decades into his career, he continued to reach new audiences. According to the account, Neill found a whole new generation of fans through his role in the television series Peaky Blinders, a reminder that his appeal endured well beyond the era of the films that first made him a household name and that his work kept finding fresh admirers.
In announcing his death, his family paid tribute to the way he faced his final days. According to the account, they said he died with the dignity that had characterised his whole life, and as word of his passing spread, tributes poured in for an actor widely regarded as one of the most recognisable and versatile screen performers of his generation.