Sam Neill died on Monday, July 13, at the age of 78, and with him goes a career spanning more than five decades. To millions, he was the paleontologist from Jurassic Park, but his filmography holds corners far darker and more striking than you might imagine.
In 1981, long before Hollywood, he starred in:
1) Possession. Alongside Isabelle Adjani, he stars in a story of marital separation in which reality dissolves into horror and the supernatural. It was so disturbing that it was censored in several countries.
2) Thirteen years later, in In the Mouth of Madness, John Carpenter turned him into an investigator trapped in a reality that cracks apart piece by piece.
3) The Piano. In it, he plays Alisdair Stewart, Ada’s (Holly Hunter) husband, in a story set in 19th-century New Zealand. His performance was the highlight of the film.
4) Dead Calm. An intense thriller alongside Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane. During a sailing trip, a married couple rescues a stranger with unexpected intentions.
5) The Hunt for Red October. Sam Neill shares the screen with Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.
