Cillian Murphy, Nicole Kidman, “Jurassic World Dominion” director Colin Trevorrow, “Jurassic Park” co-star Jeff Goldblum, Jane Campion and more paid tribute to Sam Neill following the news on Monday that the “Jurassic Park” and “Peaky Blinders” star had died at age 78.
Murphy, who worked with Neill on the first two seasons of Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders,” said in a statement to Variety: “Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors…RIP.”
Kidman, who played Neill’s wife in the 1989 psychological thriller “Dead Calm,” said she was “immensely saddened” by the loss. “Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around,” she said in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald. “We met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family.”
“Sam Neill was a deeply soulful and beautiful man,” Trevorrow wrote on Instagram. “He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I’ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful.”
