Sam Neill, Jurassic Park star, dies at 78

Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor best known for playing palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant in the dinosaur blockbuster "Jurassic Park" and for a career spanning more than 50 movies, has died at the age of 78.

Neill's big break came with the low-budget New Zealand film "Sleeping Dogs" (1977), garnering him sufficient attention to be offered roles in bigger-budget films in neighbouring ​Australia.

The actor, who was married and divorced twice, spent much of his later years in Australia and at his vineyard in New Zealand's Central Otago.