‘Jurassic Park’ Child Stars Share Emotional Tributes After Sam Neill’s Death

Jurassic Park child stars Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello shared emotional tributes to Sam Neill following his death.

On July 13, Neill — who played Alan Grant in the beloved 1993 film — died at 78, his family announced in a statement. The news came after a battle with a rare type of non-Hodgkin blood cancer called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Richards, who played Lex Murphy in the original film, posted two photos on Instagram featuring Neill.

“Sam — you were more than just a lovely actor to work with — refined, thoughtful, a skill second to none — you were a mentor, protector, and above all, friend,” she wrote. “Thank you for making our scenes together feel so real. I will be forever grateful to have been on this journey with you. @samneilltheprop.”

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A post shared by Ariana Richards (@arianarichards)

Meanwhile, Mazzello, who played Tim Murphy, shared a video reaction on his own Instagram grid.

“My initial, very raw reaction to the passing of Sam Neill @samneilltheprop, who was only a better man than he was an actor,” he captioned the tribute. “All my love and prayers go to you and your family. I will ALWAYS be your human piece of toast.”

In the clip, Mazzello told his followers, “Obviously not what I want to be doing today. I woke up to the news about Sam. I had been following his cancer diagnosis and his recovery and was so happy and thankful when I found out he was cancer-free, so this just comes, I think, as an extra gut punch, because I thought he was through it. But that is life, isn’t it?”

The former child actor fought back tears while recalling that Neill recently commented on one of his posts, writing, “All the best Joey.”

“I didn’t even know he was following me. I didn’t know that he even thought about me anymore,” Mazzello admitted. “But he was rooting for me. He was still rooting for me 33 years later. That was so special to me to know that.”

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A post shared by Joseph Mazzello (@joe_mazzello)

Additionally, Mazzello called Jurassic Park a “defining moment” in his life.

“It’s not easy working with kids, and Sam only pretended he hated us,” he recalled. “He was actually an amazing scene partner, and it doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were just ad-libbing together and climbing down trees and up fences.

He added, “I’m so thankful for him. I’m so thankful that he was so great in that movie, because he made us great too.”

Similarly, Laura Dern, who played Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park, mourned the death of Neill on Instagram, writing, “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit.”

She described him as a “true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man,” adding, “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”

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A post shared by Laura Dern (@lauradern)

Jeff Goldblum, who portrayed Ian Malcom in Jurassic Park, also penned a tribute — as did BD Wong (Henry Wu).

In addition to those already mentioned, the original Jurassic Park film starred Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, and Samuel L. Jackson, among others.

Jurassic Park, available to rent or purchase on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Fandango