Los Angeles [US], July 15 (ANI): Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is mourning the passing of his 'Jurassic Park' star Sam Neill, who famously portrayed the character of palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg shared that he was 'saddened' by the news of the actor's passing.

'I owe a debt of gratitude to 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 and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in 'Jurassic Park,'' he said, while referencing to Neill's previous works 'Sleeping Dogs', 'My Brilliant Career', 'The Final Conflict', and 'Dead Calm'.

'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,' he added.

Concluding his statement, the filmmaker revealed how he adored working with Sam Neill on all the 'Jurassic Park' films.

'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,' he said.

Sam Neill, who was 78, passed away in Australia, months after he revealed being cancer-free after years of battling the condition.

In a statement shared on the actor's official social media handle, Sam Neill was surrounded by his family members during his final moments.

'It is with immense sadness that the whanau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July 2026 in Sydney, Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life. The loss was sudden and unexpected, but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer-free. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent's Private Hospital for their incredible care,' read a part of the statement.

Since then, tributes have been pouring in from fans and members of the film fraternity.

Neill's longtime 'Jurassic' co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum also offered emotional tributes to the late actor.

Notably, Sam Neill worked in the 1993 classic hit 'Jurassic Park' and its follow-ups 'Jurassic Park III' and 'Jurassic World Dominion'.

Among his other works are the Australian period drama 'My Brilliant Career' opposite Judy Davis, the third 'Omen' film, 'The Final Conflict', 'Dead Calm', and 'The Piano'.

Neill also worked on television, portraying a real-life spy on the 1983 ITV series 'Reilly: Ace of Spies', 'The Tudors', and even as corrupt inspector Chester Campbell in 'Peaky Blinders'.

Married twice, the late actor is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren. (ANI)