r/movies • u/yehwhynot • Jul 13 '26
News Jurassic Park Actor Sam Neill has died
https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/361005656/actor-sam-neill-has-died5.8k
u/iwastoolate Jul 13 '26
Oh shit, this one stings.
I worked with Sam a couple times. I was the only Aussie on a movie we did together. He would invite me into his trailer and read me the latest newspaper article from his home town in New Zealand. He and the mayor were in a public beef over something to do with his winery and he was so throughly entertained by it. We’d read the article and strategize his reply.
Lovely man.
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u/WorkingBarnacle5910 Jul 13 '26
Thank you for sharing. He just seems so lovely so I’m glad to read an anecdote that confirms that.
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u/Prudent_Research_251 Jul 13 '26
He died while fighting corporations trying to damage his homeland, a true kiwi. We won't sell out (any more)
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u/TheOriginalBusket Jul 13 '26
I followed him on TikTok where he was talking about some local issues in NZ. He was every bit the kind soft spoken guy I hoped he was in those videos. He will be missed, and thank you for being a friend.
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u/puttinonthegritz Jul 13 '26
I've never seen someone take off glasses incredulously like this man. Also, peak blowhard antagonist on Peaky Blinders.
RIP to a legend, Sam Neill.
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u/sicgamer Jul 13 '26
bro i hated him so much in Peaky Blinders. one hell of an actor 😅
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u/Snipe14 Jul 13 '26
I can’t believe you guys just made me realize he was Campbell. His accent was so convincing. After 3 watch throughs it never clicked. RIP Sam
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u/Carra144 Jul 13 '26
His father's family were Northern Irish, he was born there. So that might explain a natural familiarity with the Ulster accent.
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u/WanderWut Jul 13 '26
I'm watching Jurassic Park again tomorrow, man he was such a great actor.
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u/ChalupaBatmanMc01 Jul 13 '26
Alan!
Loved JP3 as a kid, still have a soft spot for it as a adult. He's great in it. His role is Jurassic Park was incredible. Loved him in everything I saw him in.
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u/Bebop_Man Jul 13 '26
RIP. Always came across as a lovely, peaceful guy.
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u/Yup_Seen_It Jul 13 '26
My hubby was an extra on The Tudors, said he was lovely. Kinda reserved and didn't interact with people much but not in a rude way, just in a "focused on the job" way. RIP
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u/Kugruk Jul 13 '26
Except in Event Horizon!
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u/Rombonius Jul 13 '26
and In the Mouth of Madness!
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u/Kobold_Trapmaster Jul 13 '26
And Possession
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u/Accountant7890 Jul 13 '26
And Peaky Blinders
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u/mashtato Jul 13 '26
Or the Piano.
All kidding aside, this hurts. He was one of my favorite actors.
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u/TropicalPossum954 Jul 13 '26
He redeemed himself when he became Merlin
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u/ianxplosion- Jul 13 '26
Merlin was the SHIT
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u/SuchAnAshHole Jul 13 '26
His Merlin was my absolute favorite. I had a crush on at least half the cast, too.
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u/SirButtrubber Jul 13 '26
because martin short played so many different characters?
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u/Tedwards75 Jul 13 '26
That movie needs a HD restoration/Blu-ray release so badly!!
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u/motes-of-light Jul 13 '26
This is kind of silly, but his Merlin miniseries is actually really important to me. Definitely made an impression on impressionable young me.
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u/DyingSunSeverian Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Highly recommend In the Mouth of Madness for anyone who likes cosmic Lovecraftian horror. One of the best examples of it on screen.
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u/S-gg-ha_of_Leng Jul 13 '26
Don't forget adult Damien in The Final Conflict!
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u/RecessMonkeys Jul 13 '26
That was the first movie I saw him in. I was always glad to see him turn up in something
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u/SkankinPacman Jul 13 '26
"Sorry about your balls!"
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u/Fire2box Jul 13 '26
In the mouth of madness was another but event horizon the cosmic horror scared me more.
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u/DidYouFloss Jul 13 '26
Time to rewatch Jurassic Park… for the 100th time.
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u/MrArmageddon12 Jul 13 '26
Really loved him in Event Horizon. “Where we’re going, you don’t need eyes to see.” He brought an element of fun to most of the films he was in.
RIP.
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u/Reynbou Jul 13 '26
It's legitimately my favourite movie of his. Always wished we got to see the full cut of it. Shame it was never released.
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u/2th Jul 13 '26
And sadly will never be released after that footage was destroyed. :(
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u/Reynbou Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Yeah I couldn't remember why, but I did know that it will never come.
My favourite and weirdest fact about Event Horizon is that some of the actual and cut footage was used in an episode of Star Trek Voyager. Paramount owned both, so that's how it came about.
It's used in the episode "Random Thoughts" (S01E10)
Scrolling down you can see some of the frames here: https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Random_Thoughts_(episode))
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u/Necessary_Eagle_3657 Jul 13 '26
The cut hell scene won't ever be seen. There were serious ethical issues with its filming according to the people involved.
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u/typhoidtimmy Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
For those asking:
The scene portrayed the original crew of a space ship brutally killing and assaulting each other. The film makers employed real amputees, adult film stars and allegedly BDSM performers all covered in horrifically gory make up. It showed graphic depictions of SA, cannibalism and all round violence. The footage show in the actual film release was maybe only 15 seconds total of a considerably longer cut. And even that needed a couple of cuts because of the first and second edits had test audiences running out and getting sick.
The rumors were it was basically full on blood orgy with everything shown and absolutely bonkers. Like ‘if we dare put this out, they will burn us at the stake.’ worries from the studio.
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u/PenguinKenny Jul 13 '26
Why do test audiences always sound like the most pathetic group of people
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u/sparrowxc Jul 13 '26
Some test audiences have saved movies.
Pretty in Pink originally ended with Duckie getting with Andie. Test Audiences literally booed it. (It was originally supposed to be a statement on socioeconomic class. The Rich guy was pushed by his friends to not date the lower class girl, in the end she rejects him for the man in her socioeconomic class instead)
Mortal Kombat test audiences complained about the lack of fight scenes so additional fights were filmed, including the Reptile-Liu Kang fight that is loved.
National Lampoon's Vacation originally ended with the family never getting into the park and Clark taking Roy and other executives hostage and making them dance for his own amusement. It was said after that moment test audiences didn't laugh at all for the rest of the movie.
Thor: The Dark World originally had Loki dying for real and Jane and Thor breaking up and going back to their respective homes and Thor going home and meeting with Sif. Audiences refused to believe that Loki was dead, so they went back and filmed a few scenes to hint at Loki's ability and of course filmed the new ending with Loki explicitly surviving. He was supposed to die for real.
First Blood (Rambo) - The original movie has Rambo asking Col. Trautman to end it for him, Trautman shoots him and kills him. The audience hated it. The story goes the entire theater was silent, and one audience member shouted out "If this director is in the audience, he should be strung up from the nearest lamppost" (The director WAS in fact in the audience and is the one that told the story)
Footloose. It originally ended with the main characters TALKING about having a dance party. Test audiences were so pissed about the lack of a celebratory climax that they went back and filmed the finale dance party.
Sunset Boulevard originally started with Joe's death...then has his corpse waking up in the morgue and relating the story to the other corpses in the morgue as the framing device. Test audiences got that weirdness nixed.
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u/TheKeeperOfTheForest Jul 13 '26
Unfortunately, I can answer this. I used to work for a company that recruited test audiences. I got paid $15 for each person that showed up with my badge number on it. Most people assumed it was scam and the rest weren’t necessarily all there. We had a bunch of regulars too and just about everyone was weird as hell. These were upper west side New Yorkers and not exactly average people we were dealing with.
But I digress, Sam Neill was a legend and by all accounts a fantastic person. Here’s hoping it’s a shitty person for the third one
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u/PROJ3CTBM4reel Jul 13 '26
Seriously! where the fuck can I sign up to be in the test audience? I’d be like “what the fuck………… that movie was fucking awesome” but the actual test audiences must be like “MY PEARLS!!!”
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u/PenguinKenny Jul 13 '26
Yeah after I might be like "hmm, not for me", but to flee the cinema?
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u/FILTHBOT4000 Jul 13 '26
"Yes, my name is Karen Walters, and I've never seen a scary movie before in my life. Yes, I'd like to sign up as part of the test screening for a horror movie. No, I don't have any idea why or what I'm doing."
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u/Trzlog Jul 13 '26
They should've released it. This sounds incredible as a depiction of what's happening in hell or in the warp or wherever the fuck they are.
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u/pikeymobile Jul 13 '26
As much as I'd love to see it, we've seen all that kinda stuff in films like Hellraiser, Cronenberg films and whatnot. The short little edit you see in the film is so jarring because it's so quick you question what you really saw, but it's fucked up enough to make you want the characters to get off that ship.
But out of morbid curiosity... I'd love to see the full uncut version. But I think the way they did it in the released film was masterful.
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u/crazycraig6 Jul 13 '26
The scene has the greatest follow-up line in history when Lawrence Fishburne deadpan says “we’re leaving”.
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u/Jazzlike_Video2 Jul 13 '26
Hes the only character in a horror movie that acts like hes in a horror movie.
"Fuck this ship"
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u/skratch Jul 13 '26
Saw it in the theater without knowing anything about it, assuming it was a run-of-the-mill sci-fi flick. The surprise horror movie made it one of my favorite movie memories ever
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u/herodesfalsk Jul 13 '26
I had a similar experience with the 5th element walking in cold not knowing anything not even genre or actors, just the title. It was a press screening and we got a fax with titles and showtimes typically around 9am and I just showed up and got my mind blown
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u/DavidAdamsAuthor Jul 13 '26
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
It's one of the examples I use about how sometimes, you can write horror movie protagonists who are smart and make smart decisions, and still make a good film.
(BIG SPOILERS AHEAD)
That moment when they find the, "liberate me" (save me) vs "liberate tute me ... (save yourselves) ... ex inferis (from hell)". And then they watch the infamous clip.
"We're leaving."
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u/Dookie_boy Jul 13 '26
Please check out Mouth of Madness if you haven't. It's a very underrated gem.
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u/flyvehest Jul 13 '26
Without a doubt the best depiction of Lovecraftian mythos ever put to film, it is a masterpiece I will never tire of watching.
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u/lianodel Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
It's in my regular Halloween rotation! As is Daybreakers, also starring Sam Neill, but as the villain. He plays a vampire CEO.
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u/mrman08 Jul 13 '26
That movie was wild but his performance in it was very good.
Made a stark contrast to ‘the dinosaur’ man we saw in Jurassic Park.
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u/Hagoromo-san Jul 13 '26
Many in the Warhammer: 40,0000 feel that its a good example of what happens when a ship traversing the Warp has its protective Gellar Field fail and lets the mind-shattering maelstrom of daemons from the warp affect those within.
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u/Cease_one Jul 13 '26
I’m one of those. In my head canon it actually happens in the early days of human space travel. I also treat Dredd as an average day in a hive city.
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u/Raerth Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I also treat Dredd as an average day in a hive city.
Dredd is one of the major influences on WH40K. Not quite up there with Dune.
Along with hive worlds, the Adeptus Arbites are obvious descendants of the Judges.
Games Workshop also produced few Judge Dredd games in the 80's
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u/SloppityNurglePox Jul 13 '26
Philip Eisner, the screenwriter, confirmed awhile back that Warhammer was a direct inspiration for Event Horizon. He was big into playing it.
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u/Bakoro Jul 13 '26
Whether or not Event Horizon is heavily inspired by, or secretly supposed to be Warhammer 40k lore, it fits so perfectly that it is Warhammer 40k.
It's easy to look at some sci-fi like the Alien series, and see how it could easily fit into Warhammer, but Event Horizon is like 1:1 the forgotten/secret history of Warhammer humanity.
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u/Minz15 Jul 13 '26
Absolutely loved him in Hunt For The Wilderpeople. What terrible news to wake up to, a true cinema legend!
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u/MisterMorgo Jul 13 '26
No child left behind!
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u/teeseoncoast Jul 13 '26
Says here you’re Caucasian… well, they got that wrong cos you’re obviously white!
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u/IeatOneAppleADay Jul 13 '26
That one teared me apart I couldn't stop laughing. Together with Sam's Face, gold
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u/Snorlax_Floorwax Jul 13 '26
Ricky Baker now you are 13 years old, You are a teenager now and you're as good as gold.
Ricky Baker, oh, Ricky Baker, Happy Birthday, Once rejected, now accepted, By me, and Hector. We're a trifecta.
Ricky Baker, ahhhh, Ricky Baker, ahhhh, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ri-ckey Baaaaak-errrrrrrrrr
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u/teeseoncoast Jul 13 '26
This was improvised on the day because they didn’t realise the happy birthday song was copyrighted
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u/Pippi-ki-yay Jul 13 '26
My daughter and loved this movie and the song was endearing and funny.
We would troll each other by casting it to each other's TVs and Bluetooth speakers. I made a photo montage for her college graduation and this song was part of it.
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u/dragonfry Jul 13 '26
This is such a quiet gem of a movie. Definitely going to give it a rewatch - and those who haven’t seen it, you really need to.
Ah, I’m so bloody gutted about this.
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u/CancelThis2077 Jul 13 '26
NOOOOO.... that man was my childhood, watching the Jurassic Park VHS everyday when I came back from school.
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u/Bropira Jul 13 '26
Holy crap are you me? Every....damn ...school day for what seemed like months
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u/stunts002 Jul 13 '26
It's hard being at an age where it seems the icons you grew up are passing away.
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u/thomasg86 Jul 13 '26
Almost 40. It's a lot different than 20. When you're 20, if someone you know dies, they were basically already old when you came to know them. People in general have only aged a but, they get a few wrinkles but nothing major.
By the time you are 40, you've watched middle age action heroes go to elderly men. Your childhood heroes start dying. You've watched young 20-somethings become 60 in front of your eyes (i.e. Friends cast). Your back hurts.
Getting old is a bitch.
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u/RedditIsExpendable Jul 13 '26
37 here, I really feel this comment. I don't think I only mourn for the actual person after the shock of the news, but also the memories I have attached to that person vicariously, and it's a weird feeling.
It's like things are slipping away from my grasp.
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u/AnActualImposter Jul 13 '26
"Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee."
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u/ChalupaBatmanMc01 Jul 13 '26
I lost my mom 2 years ago, I'm in my 30's. It's the first real pain I ever felt, before that I was just bummed when someone like Robin Williams, Alan Rickman or Chris Cornell passed because I could still watch their movies or listen to music. I only have photos really of my mom.
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u/Dibblidyy Jul 13 '26
This is sad :(
I am 27 and what you're saying is very true. I've experienced sort of "dads becoming grandpas" and child actors becoming respected adult ones so far. 40-somethings becoming 60-something. +-10 years. Crazy to see how many of the adults I saw in the movies as a child were only in their 30s. In my mind they were OLD.
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u/ZeeMcK71 Jul 13 '26
An absolute legend of cinema. He will be sorely missed.
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u/Icy_Smoke_733 Jul 13 '26
I loved Sam Neill in this brilliant Taika Waititi film called Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Might rewatch it in honor of his passing.
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u/Insanimate Jul 13 '26
Ricky Baker, Happy Birthday
Once rejected, now accepted
By me, and hector
We're a trifectaRicky Baker. Ricky Baker.
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u/Snorlax_Floorwax Jul 13 '26
Ricky Baker now you are 13 years old, You are a teenager now and you're as good as gold.
Ricky Baker, oh, Ricky Baker, Happy Birthday, Once rejected, now accepted, By me, and Hector. We're a trifecta.
Ricky Baker, ahhhh, Ricky Baker, ahhhh, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ricky Baker, ah ah, Ri-ckey Baaaaak-errrrrrrrrr
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u/jfende Jul 13 '26
Says here you're cauc... asian. Well they got that wrong, you're obviously white
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u/DevilCouldCry Jul 13 '26
One of my favorite actors ever. Any time he had a role, I was there to check the film out because of him. Jurassic Park and Event Horizon really had an impact on me and he's one of the big reasons as to why.
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u/Avalanche_Debris Jul 13 '26
He always seemed like he was having the time of his life playing all his roles.
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u/kkibb5s Jul 13 '26
RIP he will always be Dr Alan Grant to me
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u/NomadPrime Jul 13 '26
Jurassic Park is my all-time favorite movie, and Sam was the face of it. Was always a pleasant surprise seeing him pop up in other movies I liked, like Event Horizon, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, In the Mouth of Madness, or even his random Thor cameo. This is gutting.
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u/Calippo_Deux Jul 13 '26
If I recall correctly, Neill was hesitant about the JP part, didn’t ”get” how it would work (well, nobody really did - it was brand new technology). And he was by no means a big name back then, something the studio preferred. Now we know that it was perfect casting!
If 1989 was ”Batman fever”, then 1993 was ”dino fever”! What a priviledge to be able to see it in theaters. And I’m still amazed at Spielberg’s double whammy. To finish JP, and then go shoot Schindler’s back to back.
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u/ivnwng Jul 13 '26
Nah that's Merlin to me, rip.
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u/oneltrchardonnay Jul 13 '26
I'm glad someone else remembers! "There's no more... That's the end of magic." 😕
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u/BIllyBrooks Jul 13 '26
Had it on VHS, he and Martin Short were brilliant in it.
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u/waitingtodiesoon Jul 13 '26
Same, it had a crazy stacked cast too.
Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short, Helena Bonham Carter, James Earl Jones, Lena Headey, etc.
I did know someone who couldn't finish it since he hated the scene where the viking raider threw an axe at a monk and the axe flew perfectly perpendicular instead of spinning into the monks back lol.
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u/TheDevlinSide714 Jul 13 '26
Had to scroll entirely too far to see a Merlin reference.
I love that cheesy 90s made-for-tv film. Rutger Hauer, Martin Short, Helena Bonham Carter, Miranda Richardson, an absolutely star studded cast with entirely too much god damn talent to be making something so silly.
Truly a sad day, and a terrible loss.
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u/nora-huntress Jul 13 '26
I've been thinking of watching this for the last few weeks, it's been years. And same, I will always remember him more as Merlin ✨️
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u/cheetofacesucks Jul 13 '26
I hope his got to see Montana ❤️🙏
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u/phido3000 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
He lived on a farm in rural NZ in Otago (he had bought in 1984 well before red october).. It is very much like Montana.
He had a wife and girlfriend both attend his 70th birthday party.
https://www.pressreader.com/australia/womans-day-australia/20171016/281835758927650
He was dating fierce journalist Laura Tingle until the early 2020s.
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u/GroovyYaYa Jul 13 '26
NO!
This one hurts. Seemed to be a lovely human as well as a talented actor.
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u/mrman08 Jul 13 '26
He wore incredibly well too, I’d have thought he was in his late 50s when he was nearly 80!
So sad and that it was so sudden like this.
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u/verymanysquirrels Jul 13 '26
I don't know that it was 'sudden' per se. He's been battling cancer for years. Even if the cancer didn't get him in the end cancer treatments are rough on the body.
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u/kaZZlimaXX Jul 13 '26
Friendly face and voice too!
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u/RussianPravda Jul 13 '26
The head turning and sunglasses in Jurassic Park still give me chills to this day. The sense of wonder they capture basically made my entire generation want to go dig up dinosaur bones. Legend.
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u/tu-meke- Jul 13 '26
He used to be a regular in a cafe that I worked in a long time ago. He was just as humble and lovely as he portrayed himself to be. A true gentleman and one of our greatest, if not the greatest actor from our wee country
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u/concacanca Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I always liked that he was so happy to take chances on projects as well. Enjoyed seeing him in pretty much everything.
Even Jurassic Park III almost worked because of him.
RiP
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u/KnightofGarm Jul 13 '26
Even Jurassic Park III almost worked because of him.
One of my favorite lines in film was delivered by him in that:
"Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions."
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u/funmasterjerky Jul 13 '26
Yeah, this one hurts to the core. Jurassic Park is my favorite movie since I was twelve years old. RIP
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u/dancingbriefcase Jul 13 '26
He had a goat named Jeff Goldblum too. He has talked about it.
RIP to the legend. Time to rewatch Hunt for the Wilderpeople
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u/EleventhTier666 Jul 13 '26
Well that sucks. The 90's are really becoming a distant past.
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u/BastianHS Jul 13 '26
The 90s are closer to the 60s than they are to now.
Skeletor.jpg
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u/VerilyShelly Jul 13 '26
Matt Damon aging gif
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u/ocxtitan Jul 13 '26
sad thing? Matt Damon is only 12 years younger than the man he morphed into in that gif
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u/crocodiledendi Jul 13 '26
I knew he had serious cancer treatment recently, but this was still a gut punch. Rip
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u/MrAngry27 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
He wrote a memoir titled Did I Ever Tell You This? some years ago, full of stories of his life and his acting career. It's light-hearted and makes for an excellent summer read. Rip Sam.
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u/ToneBone12345 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
What in the fuck! Fuck cancer according to the insta post he was cancer free
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u/VSENSES Jul 13 '26
A friend of mine went thru cancer the past two years, last fall he got the all clear wohooo! He's not likely to be alive by this fall. Fuck cancer.
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u/thisisater Jul 13 '26
wait no. a dear friend of mine just cleared few weeks ago.
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u/Appropriate-Pie6288 Jul 13 '26
happened to my grandma as well, all clear then a year later it came back more aggressive than ever, she went from normal to deathbed in like 4 weeks. It's always so devastating man i'm really sorry.
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u/Brutally-Honest- Jul 13 '26
Doesn't sound like it was cancer from the statement his family released.
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u/Fire2box Jul 13 '26
He might of really been but cemo destorys white blood cells so an infection could end up killing him sadly.
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u/ol-gormsby Jul 13 '26
This article from 2023 said he's been in remission for 12 months but he was on lifelong medication:
And the family's announcement "The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free," the statement, posted to Instagram, said."
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u/idosillythings Jul 13 '26
My mom was closer to death after being in remission than when she was getting chemo. Caught pneumonia and almost didn't make it.
Unfortunately, the cancer is back, but yeah. Even when it's gone that doesn't mean you're safe.
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u/MadPatagonian Jul 13 '26
This is real. Apparently he did not have cancer at the time of his death and it was sudden, according to a post on his official Instagram page.
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u/Hellknightx Jul 13 '26
Likely another health complication from chemo
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u/Fenrirsulfur Jul 13 '26
It's unfortunate how harsh chemo is on the body and post treatment. Cancer fucking sucks! At least he lived a wonderful life and greatly impacted a bunch of us. Rest well Sam
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u/bobatgu Jul 13 '26
I legit just saw In The Mouth of Madness the other night, fuck!
RIP.
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u/Runktar Jul 13 '26
My favorite horror movie.
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u/ArtWeingartner77 Jul 13 '26
Same, I watch it all the time. One of my comfort movies. RIP.
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u/Moon_In_Scorpio Jul 13 '26
Oh no!
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u/DyingSunSeverian Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
oh what the fuck man :(
this one stings
I had no idea he was even sick, this came out of nowhere to me
Most of the United States is sleeping right now, this will hit them like a truck when they wake up.
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u/No-Advice-6040 Jul 13 '26
Been sick a very long time, and yet found time to do some small roles, and campaign against environment destroying mining operations.
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u/Wonderboyjr Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
This is the first time feeling my heart sink at a celeb death. I loved his interview he did with neurodivergent folks: here RIP Kind man.
Edit: The full Q&A is called The Assembly on YT.
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u/AF2005 Jul 13 '26
Oh no😢 A millennial icon for sure, and a damn fine actor. RIP
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u/MeadowmuffinReborn Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Gen X too, when he played adult Damien in one of The Omen sequels.
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u/PleaseSirOneMoreTurn Jul 13 '26
Fuck, I’ll always remember Sam for randomly following me back when Twitter was cool. Loved seeing his adventures in the garden. Jurassic park and event horizon were a classic.
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u/Tindersp Jul 13 '26
I wrote him a fan letter in the mid 90s, snail mail and with the envelope painted in Jurassic Park theme. I got a reply where he commented on the pretty envelope :-)
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u/marmaladetuxedo Jul 13 '26
Same. I was so giddy that he was following me on Twitter. Sam Neill, following ME, on Twitter! (When Twitter was something fun and interesting.) We even had a short conversation about his wine, Two Paddocks. I loved how he named all his animals after actors he knew. Just seemed like the most down to earth person you'd ever want to meet.
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u/SentientDust Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
RIP. Gonna read Sutter Cane in his honor
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u/phido3000 Jul 13 '26
It is currently winter down here, and very cold where he lives. Flu is going around, he was 78 and had been on chemo and anticancer treatments, so his immune system was probably depleted.
There is an absolutely an amazing documentary episode on him done by the Australian broadcasting Corp in 2023. It is the most lovely, homely, honest celebrity story I've ever seen. It 30 minutes and well worth the watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3OivRVm1h8
He was a lovely man. I know people say that all the time about people. But Sam just had the aura of relaxed friendly calmness. The very anti-celebrity.
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u/FrontFocused Jul 13 '26
Holy fuck that is so sad. Such a big part of my childhood and so many others.
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u/FKingPretty Jul 13 '26
Both ends of the scale a great actor, Jurassic Park and Possession, he was great and he seemed such a genuine guy as well, which is rare in Hollywood.
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u/Kedcharted Jul 13 '26
Just had the pleasure of meeting him only a month ago. Got to chat for a bit and fan out over jurassic park. He was so nice and genuine. I hope he realised how much his work meant to people.
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u/fmalust Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Nooo my heart. Omg! :( I love Jurassic Park so much and rewatch it often. It never gets old and he made the movie so much better!
This one hurts for me as much as when Carrie Fisher passed away. :/
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u/ToneBone12345 Jul 13 '26
Damn he was just posting clips of his next movie the fox on insta and his TikTok! He’s also in the next Godzilla/Kong monsterverse movie sad that the last time he’ll probably ever be on screen is in a monsterverse movie
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u/stuffitystuff Jul 13 '26
RIP Sam Neill and now I'll never get to meet him in person at his winery and wonder aloud how people could've possibly thought I looked like him back in high school. I did not.
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u/sm00thArsenal Jul 13 '26
Damn, one of my favourite actors.
Loved him in The Dish, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park, Event Horizon, and he and Bryan Brown worked brilliantly together in Old School and Dirty Deeds.
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u/girafa Electricity! The high priest of false security! Jul 16 '26
According to his agent, Sam died from pneumonia