Nicole Kidman pays touching tribute to ‘beloved friend’ Sam Neill

Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern have paid touching tribute to Sam Neill following his death aged 78.

The Scarpetta actress and Neill’s Jurᴀssic Park co–star, both 59, took to Instagram to pose with a bottle of Two Paddock’s Last Chance Pinot Noir from his vineyard in New Zealand’s Central Otago region.

‘Raising a glᴀss to our beloved friend and leading man, Sam,’ Nicole captioned the image.

‘Just the way he would want, toasting with his gorgeous Pinot.’ 

Neill pᴀssed away on July 13, 2026 at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney from pneumonia – just three months after revealing he was finally cancer–free following his battle with stage three angioimmunoblastic T–cell lymphoma.

Many of Neill’s fans have chosen to toast the screen legend with a bottle of his acclaimed Two Paddocks wine. 

Nicole Kidman (left) and Laura Dern (right) have paid touching tribute to Sam Neill following his death aged 78

Liquorland revealed sales of Two Paddocks pinot noir skyrocketed by an astonishing 1,828 per cent, with the wine jumping from the chain’s 423rd bestselling bottle to fifth place in the days after Neill’s death.

Boutique wine stores also struggled to keep the label on their shelves.

Regional Wines in Wellington sold out of its entire Two Paddocks stock on the day Neill died, while Moore Wilson’s reported selling five times its usual volume.

‘Customers have shared plans to enjoy Sir Sam Neill’s movies with a glᴀss of his pinot noir,’ Moore Wilson’s general manager Amanda Thompson told The Guardian.

‘Others are stocking up the cellar, and some of the cafes and restaurants were putting up a blackboard special to celebrate his life.’

Neill’s pᴀssion for winemaking was well known among friends and colleagues.

The actor produced pinot noir, riesling and rosé under the Two Paddocks label and was renowned for generously donating bottles to charity auctions and sharing them with family and friends.

The Jurᴀssic Park star died on July 13, aged 78, from pneumonia

Sam Neill’s legacy is living on in an extraordinary way, with heartbroken fans snapping up his beloved wine label in record numbers and donating thousands of dollars to the causes he championed following his death

Family described Neill’s death as ‘sudden and unexpected’ in a statement published on his Instagram page. The actor was previously diagnosed with a type of blood cancer.

‘It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) of Sam Neill share the news of his pᴀssing on Monday 13 July, in Sydney, Australia. Sam was surrounded by family and pᴀssed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,’ they said.

Sam Neill ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 78: Jurᴀssic Park star pᴀsses away after long battle with cancer

‘The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer–free. They would like to express their deepest graтιтude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.

‘More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss.’ 

Following his pᴀssing, an outpouring of grief followed with a host of A–Listers paying tribute to him, including Jurᴀssic Park director Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg said he was ‘saddened’ by the news of Neill’s death, telling the Daily Mail in a statement, ‘I owe a debt of graтιтude to Roger Donaldson, Gillian Armstrong 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 Jurᴀssic Park.

‘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.

‘I adored making all the Jurᴀssic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurᴀssic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.’