Sam Neil passed away recently at 78. You may remember him from iconic roles like Alan Grant in Jurassic Park as well as Cardinal Wosley in The Tudors and Merlin in the made for TV Merlin film from the late 90s.
Yeah, saw that in my news feed this morning. Glad that he was able to reprise his role as Dr Grant one last time, even if the movie itself was disappointing. I've enjoyed nearly every role that I've seen him in.
My condolences
I thought the Peaky Blinders ended him.
Loved him in Jurassic Park!! Aw
I met Sam Neil once when Spider-Man 2 was being filmed in nyc Chinatown. His wife was the costume or art director of the movie. I walked up to him and told him I really enjoyed a small Australian film called The Dish, he perked up since it wasn’t mainstream. We had a 3 minute conversation about that and The Omen 3. Then his daughter came over and said I’m going to tell mom you’re smoking, he quickly extinguished it and walked over to his wife. It was really nice I also met Sam Raimi the director and Kirsten and Jake Gyllenhal got photos with all three.
Sam was perfect for the Jurassic movies! He has a way of posing cinematically (I know a lot of this may be art direction) but he can communicate subtle nested information with his delivery. For instance, he says with a smile, "the phones are working." in Jurassic Park. Lol he was talking on the phone to Hammond but that wasn't the point. -He wasn't just saying "The phones are working." He was saying, this place has gone to hell we're being attacked by monsters, basic needs are in short supply and we just got a break. "Send the damn helicopters."
Also perfect as Damien Thorn in the Omen series. There's one scene where he's praying to his father, the movie was playing downstairs.. we had a loft apartment so the words reverberated and echoed off the walls. I remember hearing what he was saying..and going, oh hell naw..I ran down the steps, looked away and turned it off. I still haven't seen that clip. Won't watch it. He's that good.
I would like to have seen Montana.
"I will live in Montana. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a "recreational vehicle."
Captain Borodin The Hunt for Red October
One of the tougher things about growing old as a millennial. Actors and actresses that shaped your childhood leaving this mortal coil and it always hurts inside. It never gets easier. This is another sharp blow to me because the Jurassic Park/World franchise is a major favorite of mine and Sam playing as Dr. Alan Grant has been one of my favorite characters. Although I'm more partial to Dr. Ian Malcolm (I love Jeff Goldblum's acting craft) but I digress. It's painful hearing of his loss, especially after being just declared cancer free not too long ago, and all of a sudden he's gone.
I'm now watching many of his other movies he's been in and I would say my personal favorite movie of his outside of JP would be Dead Calm where he stars along side Nicole Kidman. Sam's role in that movie fits him like a glove, similar to how Val Kilmer's role as Doc Holliday in Tombstone is one of his better roles despite that I've always have seen him as an above average Batman before he passed last year.
Never saw it.
@HappyHikes @TxTom Ah, one of my favorite movies.
Sad to hear of Sam's passing.
~ Sunset Snuggles
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RIP to a great actor and human being.
I thought his response to this question was particularly authentic and moving.
@VAdude wow that does show how authentic he is. What a genuine person with a full and sensitive heart.
Sound like it was tough growing up for him. Like it is for a lot of us.
Oh, no!! Im here trying to locate a unicorn and stumbled on the worse news ive heard (star-wise) since the death of Robin Williams! This is soooo terrible. Sam has led the charge through my chidhood.. I pray for his soul to get the rest he deserved in life. Such an awesome human being.
Seems like he was one of the real gentlemen in show business. RIP
He was really good in the limited series Untamed last year. He showed no signs or symptoms on screen.